The document also envisages that deepfakes will be used by online publishers, which must take into account China’s myriad other rules about acceptable online content. Including the one that censpored images of Winnie the Pooh online, as the beloved bear – as depicted by illustrator E. H. Shepard – was felt to resemble, and mock, China’s president-for-probably-life Xi Jinping. The Register therefore suggests it will be a very, very, brave Chinese developer that creates a photorealistic ursine chatbot or avatar.
The regulations also spell out how the creators of deepfakes — who are termed “deep synthesis service providers” — must take care that their AI/ML models and algorithms are accurate and regularly revised, and ensure the security of data they collect. The rules also include a requirement for registration of users — including their real names. Because allowing an unknown person to mess with deepfakes would not do. The rules are pitched as ensuring that synthesis tech avoids the downsides and delivers benefits to China. Or, as Beijing puts it (albeit in translation), deepfakes must “Promote the healthy development of internet information services and maintain a good ecology of cyberspace.” The regulations come into force on January 10, 2023.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.