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China faces growing calls for compulsory labels on AI-generated content
Beijing has already taken a series of measures but the rise of new models such as DeepSeek has prompted a debate about the next step
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Vanessa Caiin Shanghai
Support for the mandatory labelling of AI-generated content is growing in China, with a commentary in Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily backing a lawmaker’s proposal on the issue.
Li Dongsheng, a deputy to the National People’s Congress, said the labelling could reduce malicious misuse of the technology.
In the commentary published online on Thursday, Liu Xingliang, director of the Beijing-based Data Centre of China Internet, wrote that the requirement was a “practical necessity” and would “align with current social governance needs and contribute to the industry’s long-term healthy growth”.
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Citing the rise of models such as DeepSeek, Liu wrote that artificial intelligence was becoming part of people’s daily lives and work but also gave rise to a “series of social issues, such as academic fraud and deepfake scams”.
“These problems may accelerate the spread of misinformation and even pose a threat to social stability,” Liu said.
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“Any emerging technology undergoes a phase of unregulated expansion in its early development stages. However, as negative impacts become more apparent, appropriate regulation becomes a necessary measure.”
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