Advertisement
Police in China warn against ChatGPT ‘rumours’ and scams
- Public security authorities in Chinese capital say chatbot is ‘fun’ but could be used by ‘villains’ to commit crimes
- The viral AI has been blamed for spreading misinformation, with fake government announcement reported in eastern city of Hangzhou
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
4
Sylvie Zhuangin Beijing
Beijing police warned the public on Thursday to be wary of “rumours” generated by ChatGPT – one of the first comments the Chinese security apparatus has made about the viral AI chatbot.
“ChatGPT is fun and has gone viral recently, but please be cautious that villains may use this to commit crimes and spread rumours,” said a post on the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau’s official WeChat account.
“Research institutes have tested and found that when asked conspiracy-related and misleading questions, it could quickly generate compelling information without citing sources.”
The post did not offer any concrete examples of rumours the police were concerned about.
Advertisement
In the eastern city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, the chatbot has been blamed for spreading misinformation.
On Friday, a Zhejiang-based state media outlet published a case involving a Hangzhou resident who used the chatbot to generate a post that resembled an announcement from the city government saying it would lift its number plate-based driving restrictions, a measure many Chinese cities have implemented to reduce traffic congestion.
Advertisement
The resident found the chatbot’s announcement amusing and later shared it in multiple social media groups, the report said.
According to a screenshot published with the report, the person apologised to other members of the WeChat groups and said, “I recognise my action has inconvenienced the government.”
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x