BEIJING, April 3 – Chinese internet authorities unveiled proposed guidelines Friday targeting the oversight of virtual human technology, mandating transparent identification and blocking services that might deceive minors or create dependency issues.
The draft framework from China’s Cyberspace Administration would mandate visible “digital human” identification on all virtual character content and forbid digital humans from offering “virtual intimate relationships” to anyone under 18, based on regulations released for public feedback through May 6.
The proposed guidelines would additionally prohibit creating digital humans using someone else’s personal data without authorization, or employing virtual characters to circumvent identity confirmation processes, demonstrating Beijing’s strategy to retain oversight amid artificial intelligence developments.
Virtual humans are further restricted from spreading material that threatens national security, encourages government overthrow, supports territorial separation, or damages national cohesion, the draft framework stated.
Platform operators should prevent and block material that contains sexual implications, shows violence or brutality, or promotes ethnic or regional bias, the document outlined. Companies are also urged to implement intervention measures and offer expert support when users display self-destructive behaviors.
China outlined its intentions to rapidly integrate AI across its economy in its latest five-year strategy document released last month. This initiative accompanies stricter oversight in the expanding sector to guarantee safety and compatibility with the nation’s socialist principles.
The updated regulations seek to address oversight gaps in the virtual human field, establishing definitive boundaries for the sector’s sustainable growth, according to commentary posted on the internet regulator’s platform.
“The oversight of digital virtual humans is no longer merely an issue of industry norms; rather, it has become a strategic scientific problem that concerns the security of the cyberspace, public interests, and the high-quality development of the digital economy,” the analysis stated.
