China's internet regulator releases list of approved suppliers of deep fake technology

In line with China's plan to regulate the fast-evolving deep fake technology, the internet regulator in the country has released its first line of approved suppliers.

As per the South China Morning Post report, the white list, that was released by the Cyber Administration of China (CAC) on Tuesday, included names of the owners of 41 algorithms, including major tech giants Tencent, Baidu and Alibaba.

The algorithms were filed in adherence to the Administrative Provisions on Deep Synthesis for Internet Information Service, which came into effect in the month of January this year.

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China's deep synthesis rules

The Administrative Provisions on Deep Synthesis for Internet Information Service took effect on January 10. It controls deepfake technology and services including video, audio, text and images generated by artificial intelligence-based models.

As per the law, deep synthesis providers have to abide by the local laws and respect ethics, and maintain the “correct political direction and correct public opinion orientation”.

The regulation by CAC also urged deep fake providers to register as early as possible.

As per the list, the organisations that have already filed are in the business of generating images from text, editing images/videos from the ones uploaded by clients and intelligent customer service.

According to the CAC, Beijing introduced the laws to constrict surveillance on the management of deep fake service, to promote “core socialist values”, protect national security and public interest and safeguard the rights of citizens and companies.

First arrest after regulation of deep fake technology

The Gansu public security department arrested Hong under charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” The charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in jail but can be extended to 10 years in extreme cases.

China’s quest to control AI chatbots

In February, it was reported that China has blocked ChatGPT in the country to make sure content critical of the Chinese Community Party doesn’t reach Chinese users. However, Chinese users are increasingly relying on a VPN connection to access the AI chatbot.

Now, Chinese companies are coming up with their own versions of ChatGPT in conformity with Chinese standards. China’s top internet regulator has already warned that the advancement of AI technology can make it more difficult for the authorities to differentiate deepfake content from the original one, and can lead to scams and defamation.

(With inputs from agencies)

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