China arrests ChatGPT user for creating and spreading false news stories
Christopher Hutton
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Chinese authorities have detained a man for using OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot to create false news stories, likely the first arrest in the country involving the advancing technology.
A man, surnamed Hong, posted a fake news article to the internet describing a train crash that left nine people dead, according to Bloomberg. The article was generated by ChatGPT, which is only accessible through a virtual private network (VPN). The resulting content was then published on multiple accounts across blogs hosted by the internet company Baidu. The arrest occurred months after Chinese authorities issued a draft of rules cracking down on using generative AI in order to combat “fake news.”
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Hong “exploited modern technological methods to fabricate fake information and proceeded to spread it on social media,” the public security bureau of northern Gansu stated in a press release on WeChat. The spreading of false information means that Hong is liable for the “major crime” of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” an offense that could get him up to five years in prison.
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The Cyberspace Administration of China announced in January that it was restricting “deep synthesis” technology like ChatGPT to bar any information they deem “fake news” or disruptive to the Chinese economy and national security. The CAC is also calling on all chatbots created in China to be trained with properly regulated information. This includes data that reflects “socialist core values” and avoids any information that undermines “state power” or national unity.
Countries around the world are responding to the popularity of bots like ChatGPT with growing skepticism. The White House and Congress have moved toward new research and restrictions on the technology. Italy banned ChatGPT in March over allegations that it was breaching the country’s privacy rules.