First ChatGPT arrest held in China over fake train crash accident report
Chinese police have arrested a man in Gansu province for using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to create and spread fake news about a train crash.
The man, named Hong, reportedly used ChatGPT to generate false information and posted it on multiple accounts. Cybersecurity officers discovered the story simultaneously posted on more than 20 accounts on Baidu’s blog-style platform, Baijiahao. The article had been clicked more than 15,000 times.
Hong, who was traced to a company he owned, is suspected of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”. China has long expressed concern about the unchecked use of deep synthesis technology for criminal activities such as online scams or defamation.
While ChatGPT is not directly available to Chinese IP addresses, Chinese users can still access its service through a reliable VPN connection. The case first came to the attention of the cyber division of a county police bureau when they discovered a fake news article that claimed nine people had been killed in a local train accident on April 25.
