The restrictions highlight a renewed emphasis on security under Chinese President Xi Jinping that regulates all technologies and information in the country from perceived threats to Communist Party’s rule.
The new Chinese interim regulation was published July 13 and went into effect Tuesday. It was approved by China’s Cyberspace Administration and endorsed by seven other agencies, including the Ministry of Public Security, the main police and security ministry. Chinese AI providers that “possess public opinion attributes or social mobilization capability” are required to undergo security screening, the regulation states.
China in 2021 restricted algorithms for AI requiring registering the software with authorities, and in 2022 added rules for synthetically generated content, before issuing the draft regulation on July 13. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier this year announced plans for U.S. regulation of AI and said China could not be allowed to “write the rules of the road” for the cutting-edge technology.