China’s AI Regulation
Chinese authorities have issued a set of regulations on generative AI that indicate the country will have an accommodating approach regarding the new technology. The tone implied in the updated guidelines suggests the country has loosened some restrictions it had initially proposed in April for ChatGPT-style services.
According to the Cyberspace Administration of China on Thursday, the country’s top internet regulator said it’ll oversee six ministries, including the National Development and Reform Commission along with the country’s education, science, and technology ministries.
The guidelines will go into effect on August 15 applicable to local and foreign generative AI providing service to residents in China. However, it clarified the regulations will not apply if services are targeting overseas users, even if the tech is developed in China.
The joint statement by the seven ministries mentioned the regulations are aimed at promoting the “healthy development and standardized application of generative AI, protecting national security and social public interests, and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of citizens, and other legal entities.”
It added generative AI services provided in China must conform to the country’s core socialist values and not harm national security and interests, tarnish the national image, or be used to divide the country.
In regards to commercial aspects, the regulator said the generative AI services must respect intellectual property rights, maintain ethics and commercial confidentiality, and not be involved in unfair competition. It also limits related services targeting minors, adding generative AI content must indicate they were created using the new technology.
The set of regulations by China comes as neighboring Japan is also devising a draft of AI regulations to be unveiled by the end of this year that’s highly likely to reflect China’s hospitable stance towards the technology. The Asian countries’ moves are in stark contrast to that of the European Union, which applied the strictest rules by dividing the use of AI into various risk categories.
The move signifies China acknowledging the need to support the local tech realm and compete for global leadership in AI amid U.S. clampdown to curb China’s AI capabilities by limiting access to important computing hardware and cloud platforms.
Huawei’s AI for Cloud Computing
Chinese tech companies in the AI front are stepping up as the country’s tech crackdown has come to an end. Chinese tech giant Huawei released a new version of its AI for cloud computing services, the ‘Pangu Model 3.0’ and Ascend AI cloud service.
The solutions are aimed at tackling problems within industries tailored to specific needs in operations, product R&D, and software engineering. The models use Huawei’s large-scale data and machine learning algorithms based on the company’s own hardware and chips.
Another grand reveal by Huawei is slated to take place on July 18 to announce the company’s first commercial case of the ‘Pangu Mining Model’ with Shandong Energy Group, a solution that seeks to improve the productivity of mining operations through the implementation of digital technology.
According to a recent IDC forecast, China’s AI market is to exceed US$ 26 billion by 2026, with its locally developed hardware related to the AI sector comprising 56% of the global market.