Chinese Police Arrest Man Who Allegedly Used ChatGPT To Spread Fake News

Chinese police have arrested a man for using ChatGPT to create a fake news article about a train crash, under a new law governing "deep synthesis technologies" introduced by China this year. CNBC reports: Police in Gansu province in northwest China detained a man, surnamed Hong, who they said allegedly fabricated a news story regarding a train crash that caused nine deaths. The authorities found that more than 20 accounts had posted this article on a blogging platform owned by Chinese search giant Baidu and they'd garnered more than 15,000 views. Hong allegedly used ChatGPT to create slightly different versions of the fake news article to pass duplication checks on the Baidu-owned platform. The Gansu police authorities arrested Hong under the first-of-its kind law governing "deep synthesis technologies" which China introduced this year. Deep synthesis technologies refer to AI being used to generate text, images, video or other media. The law states that deep synthesis services cannot be used to disseminate fake news. China drafted the law as ChatGPT was taking off and going viral, as authorities looked to get ahead of the technology. China's internet is heavily censored and controlled. Beijing has sought to introduce laws governing new technologies which could present concerns to the central government. ChatGPT is blocked in China but can be accessed with the use of a virtual private network -- a software that can help bypass the country's internet restrictions.

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