In mid-July of 2023, representatives from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) held a press conference to elucidate the Interim Measures for the Regulation of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services, subsequently referred to as "the Measures." These Measures, jointly sanctioned by the CAC and six other ministerial departments, officially came into effect on August 15, 2023. These Measures mark a significant development as they constitute China's inaugural set of regulatory rules governing the provision and utilization of generative AI technology. The Measures encompass five main sections:

1. General Provisions

2. Technology Development and Oversight

3. Service Regulations

4. Supervision,  Inspection, and Legal Responsibilities

5. Supplementary  Provisions

To bolster the effective implementation of the Measures, the CAC addressed inquiries concerning their context, applicability, core principles, and essential definitions. These discussions extended to strategies for fostering the responsible evolution of generative AI, guidelines pertaining to both providers and consumers of generative AI, the management of AI services, and the establishment of mechanisms for complaints and reporting. For instance, when discussing the context surrounding the Measures, the CAC underscored their role in addressing the challenges presented by recent technological advancements and the associated risks.

In a broader context, the Measures share certain parallels with the Regulations on the Administration of Deep Synthesis of Internet-based Information Services from 2022. Both documents establish provisions for content generated through AI or related technologies. The primary distinction between these two sets of regulations lies in their objectives: while the Measures primarily seek to ensure the authenticity, accuracy, and impartiality of content generated by generative AI, the Regulations chiefly concentrate on ensuring that synthetic content is appropriately identified and documented as required. To a certain extent, the introduction of these two sets of departmental regulations signifies China's commitment to supervising AI and AI-related technology with a primary focus on the oversight of generated content. The specific aim of this supervision is to prevent the public from being deceived or misinformed by AI-generated content.

Currently, in terms of standardization, two standard projects that support the Measures are in development, although they have not yet been formally initiated:

1. Security Specifications for Manual Labeling of Generative AI (supporting Article 8 of the Measures)

2. Data Security Specifications for Generative AI Pre-training and Optimized Training (supporting Article 7)

During the Standardization Week of SAC/TC 260 Information Security, the draft versions of these two standard projects were deliberated upon and assessed. Moreover, more recently, SAC/TC 260 sought public input on the Cybersecurity Standard Practice Guide: Method for Identification of AI Generated Content, which is a normative standardization document also aligned with the Measures.