The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has unveiled a comprehensive draft of new regulations aimed at governing the deployment of artificial intelligence, with a primary focus on safeguarding minors and mitigating severe psychological risks. This regulatory push represents a significant expansion of China’s existing AI governance, addressing specific concerns regarding the influence of generative models on the country’s younger demographic.
According to the draft guidelines, AI service providers are mandated to proactively prevent the generation of content that could harm the physical or mental health of children. This includes a strict prohibition on AI-generated material that encourages self-harm, suicide, or illegal activities. Furthermore, the regulations require companies to implement robust age-verification mechanisms and ‘minor modes’ that restrict access to inappropriate content while promoting educational and age-appropriate interactions.
A critical component of the proposal involves the technical labeling of AI-generated content. Developers must ensure that any synthesized media—including text, images, and video—is clearly watermarked to distinguish it from human-generated content. This move aims to curb the spread of deepfakes and misinformation that could be used for exploitation or manipulation.
These measures align with China’s broader strategic objective to lead the world in AI regulation. Since the introduction of its interim measures for generative AI services in 2023, the CAC has focused on ensuring that large language models (LLMs) developed by tech giants like Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent adhere to national security standards and ‘socialist core values.’
Industry analysts suggest that while these regulations pose significant compliance hurdles for domestic tech firms, they also provide a clear roadmap for ethical AI development. Companies will likely need to invest more heavily in content moderation algorithms and rigorous safety testing to meet the CAC’s high standards. As the global debate over AI safety intensifies, China’s proactive stance on protecting vulnerable users may serve as a template for other jurisdictions looking to balance innovation with public safety.
