Chinese authorities arrest man for generating fake news via ChatGPT

Beijing, May 10 In what may be the first detention related to the misuse of ChatGPT, the Chinese law authorities have arrested a man for allegedly using the OpenAI chatbot for generating fake news and sharing it online.

Police in northwestern China's Gansu province said that a suspect surnamed Hong had been detained for "using artificial intelligence technology to concoct false and untrue information", reports South China Morning Post.

While ChatGPT is not directly available in China, users can still access its service if they have a reliable VPN connection.

The cybersecurity team found the AI-written fake news about a train crash was posted by more than 20 accounts on Baijiahao, a blog-style platform run by Chinese search engine giant Baidu.

The news received more than 15,000 clicks before authorities took action.

Hong confessed to using ChatGPT to quickly produce different versions of the same fake story and uploaded them to his Baijiahao accounts.

Hong was suspected of the crime of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble", a charge that normally carries a maximum sentence of five years.

"But in cases that are deemed especially severe, offenders can be jailed for 10 years and given additional penalties," the report mentioned.

China has slammed ChatGPT, the AI-driven chatbot by Microsoft-owned OpenAI that has become a rage, saying it is spreading US government "misinformation" and directing internet companies not to use it in their applications.

Chinese regulators told Tencent and Ant Group, the fintech affiliate of Alibaba Group, not to offer ChatGPT services to the public, Nikkei Asia reported in February.

There is a "growing alarm in Beijing over the AI-powered chatbot's uncensored replies to user queries".