China to crack down on AI chatbots around suicide, gambling
China plans to regulate AI chatbots to prevent emotional manipulation, suicide encouragement, and harmful content like gambling.Summary
China's Cyberspace Administration has released draft rules to restrict AI-powered chatbots that simulate human interaction, focusing on emotional safety. These regulations target services that could lead to suicide, self-harm, or mental health damage through emotional manipulation or violent content. Specifically, chatbots must not encourage suicide, and providers must intervene with human support and contact guardians if a user expresses suicidal thoughts. The rules also prohibit gambling, obscene, and violent content, and require parental consent and time limits for minors. Platforms must proactively identify and protect underage users. Furthermore, the regulations call for security assessments for large-scale chatbots and encourage the use of AI for positive applications like cultural dissemination and elderly companionship. These proposed rules represent the world’s first attempt to regulate AI with human-like characteristics, following the rapid development of AI companions in China.
(Source：Cnbc)