Reports are that Chinese censors and regulators are worried about ChatGPT and the emergence of AI chatbots. In particular, they are concerned that chatbots will give “uncensored replies” to politically sensitive questions.
As a result, Tencent and Ant Group have been told to restrict access to ChatGPT and also to report to government officials before launching their own rival chatbots. Chinese search giant Baidu has already launched some AI tools, including an AI image generator that is unable to generate images of Tiananmen Square.
At this stage, AI chatbots can be limited. Ask chatGPT a question about a controversial subject and it will demur. Chinese censors want to build chatbots that reflect their censored version of the world. And even American Christian nationalists are looking to build their own censored version of an AI chatbot.
It is interesting to think how this will develop over time. Would truly general AI accept censorship? Would it push back on its creators’ limitations?
Despite the official restrictions, chatGPT has spread quickly throughout China. Many Chinese internet users have been able to access it via VPNs or third-party apps that are connected to popular platforms such as WeChat. Hopefully, in time, it can render government attempts to censor information useless.
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