The Chinese government has relaxed its original rules for AI that it published in April and planned for them to come into force from August 15.
China's interim guidelines for artificial intelligence (AI) activity and management in the country are scheduled to come into force on August 15.
The regulations, published on July 10, are called “Generative AI Measures” and are the result of a joint effort between six government agencies, including the Cybersecurity Administration of China (CAC), the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
These will be the first set of AI rules to be implemented in the country following the recent boom in AI development, and will be overseen by the same agencies that created the measures.
The 24 guidelines include measures that require platforms that provide AI services to register them and undergo a security review before they are made public. The Chinese government will also mandate labels for artificially created content.
A draft version of the regulations published in April included specific fines for anyone deviating from the guidance, but they have since been removed. Instead, service providers will be required to address problematic content within a three-month period.
The regulations aim to create a middle ground between state control of technology and a welcoming environment for innovation in the sector. China is actively developing its AI scene, with local tech giants like Alibaba creating a rival to the popular chatbot ChatGPT.
It has also been in a quiet standoff with the United States over developing high-performance AI systems and the chips that power them.
On June 14, the European Union parliament passed the draft AI Act, a comprehensive legal framework on AI regulation for member states. Before it becomes law, EU members will be able to negotiate the final details.
Since the bill's passage, major tech companies have called on authorities in the EU to relax rules around open-source AI models.