China wants red flags on all AI-generated content posted online

China's internet regulator on Saturday proposed a strict regime that will, if adopted, require digital platforms to label content created by artificial intelligence.

The Cyberspace Administration of China announced its draft plan, which will require platforms and online service providers to label all AI-generated material with a visible logo and with metadata embedded in relevant files.

The draft proposes that logos appear in several locations in a text, image, video, or audio file.

In audio files, Beijing wants a voice prompt to inform listeners about AI-generated content at the start and end of a file – and, as appropriate, mid-file too. Software that plays audio files will also need to inform netizens when they tune in to AI content.

Video players can get away with just posting notices about the content at the start, end, and relevant moments during a clip.

Netizens who post AI-generated content will be required to label it as such. If they use generation tools provided by a platform, they'll be required to identify themselves – and a log of their activities will be retained for six months.

Some labels denoting AI-made content will be applied dynamically, based on metadata embedded in AI-generated content.

If metadata is absent from a file, service providers will be required to analyze content. If an org suspects that a file was made by AI, it will need to label it as such.

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The draft code calls for China's internet platforms to share the smarts they develop as they work to detect AI content, so that all can improve their efforts.

Failing to do any or the above will mean trouble for platform operators and individuals.

The draft is just that, and comments on it are open until October. However Chinese regulators aren't famed for making big changes after drafts like this appear – this draft is likely the regime Beijing wants to see implemented.

It's pretty much business as usual: China always wants its tech giants to police what comes online, and to tie user-generated content to an identifiable individual. Doing so means China can enact its vision of sovereign control over its local internet – which translates into criticism of the Communist Party or government being extremely unlikely to make it online, or persist for long if its does. ®