China has blocked OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, over concerns that the American company would use the AI to spread propaganda. The country’s major tech companies have been ordered not to offer the chatbot to the public, especially firms in the social media app business. According to a report by Nikkei Asia, the ban is due to ChatGPT generating replies that the Chinese Communist Party would otherwise censor.
Chinese regulators have instructed tech firms Tencent and Ant Group to restrict access to ChatGPT and report to officials before releasing their own chatbots. ChatGPT joins the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube, Wikipedia, and some Google services that are also blocked nationwide.
China is one of the world’s most restrictive countries when it comes to the internet and media, as it controls the news, online environment, and social media platforms. However, users have found a workaround with a virtual private network (VPN) and dozens of ‘mini programs’ released by third-party developers on Tencent’s WeChat social media app that claim to offer services from ChatGPT.
State-owned media outlet China Daily posted on Weibo that ChatGPT ‘could provide a helping hand to the U.S. government in its spread of disinformation and its manipulation of global narratives for its own geopolitical interests.’ The US has also looked to ban the Chinese app TikTok over similar fears that Chinese officials have with ChatGPT.
While people worldwide may be surprised by the move, those in China’s tech industry saw the ban coming. An executive from a leading tech company told Nikkei that “Our understanding from the beginning is that ChatGPT can never enter China due to issues with censorship, and China will need its own versions of ChatGPT.” Another executive from a leading Chinese tech player said the firm had no plans to use ChatGPT – even before the ban – because its responses were uncontrollable.
In conclusion, China has blocked OpenAI’s ChatGPT over fears that it may be used to spread propaganda. The ban is part of China’s strict internet and media regulations, which aim to control news, online environments, and social media platforms. While users have found a workaround for ChatGPT, China’s tech industry saw the ban coming, and some companies had no plans to use the chatbot even before the ban.
