On May 9, 2026, the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the Notice on the Implementation of Pilot Program for the Artificial Intelligence Technology Ethical Review and Service (hereinafter referred to as “the Notice”) to the public, to support the implementation of the country’s significant regulation on AI ethnical review, namely the Measures on the Ethical Review and Service of Artificial Intelligence Technology (for trial implementation) (hereinafter referred to as “the Measures”), which was issued by 10 national ministries in March of 2026.

The Measures establish regulations on the scope of application, service facilitation, implementing entities, procedural processes, and supervision and management of AI technology ethical review. It takes into account the characteristics of AI-related scientific and technological activities, and clarifies different procedural requirements, including application and acceptance, general procedures, simplified procedures, expert review procedures, and emergency procedures.  According to the Measures, such reviews focus particularly on six key aspects: human well-being, fairness and justice, controllability and reliability, transparency and explainability, traceable accountability, and privacy protection. This regulation also outlines supportive measures in five areas to help enterprises effectively enhance their capabilities in managing ethical risks associated with science and technology: standard development, service systems, innovation encouragement, public education and outreach, and talent cultivation.

The key contents of the Notice are to launch a pilot program of AI ethnical review mechanisms in 10 provinces and municipalities of China, specifically include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Shandong, Tianjin, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Hubei, Hunan, and Zhejiang. The overall working objectives of this pilot program is listed in the Notice as:

-   Connect the working chains of ministerial, provincial, and municipal government departments, promoting multi-stakeholder participation and efficient coordination;

-   Facilitate the early implementation of AI technology ethical review and services in key cities;

-   Establish a number of specialized institutions and talent teams, validating and developing five or more relevant standards, and basically building a case base of AI technology ethics risks;

-   Develop a set of technical tools and methods, and select and promote typical demonstration applications, thereby supporting responsible AI innovation and high-quality industrial development.

For the 10 regions that are selected for the pilot program launching, their regional industry and information technology authorities shall, taking into comprehensive consideration the local AI industry foundation and the existing capacity for AI technology ethics governance, recommend one to two cities (or municipal districts under the direct jurisdiction of a municipality directly under the Central Government) to participate in the Pilot Program. They shall also organize these cities to develop implementation plan based on the plan template form attached to the Notice, and the details for following items shall be included in their implementation plans:

-   Establish a locally appropriate AI ethical governance working mechanism;

-   Construct an AI technology ethics committee and an AI technology ethical review and service center;

-   Validate the procedures and standards for AI technology ethics review;

-   Build a three-tier (ministerial-provincial-municipal) agile governance network.

If selected as a Pilot City, various types of entities, such as enterprises, higher education institutions, research institutes, and medical and health institutions, will be involved in relevant activities. The specific participation activities include: within the selected cities (including the mandatory areas like AI foundational infrastructure, and three or more vertical application areas chosen by each city from among manufacturing, education, science and technology, culture, healthcare, finance, agriculture, tourism, consumption, etc.), each area shall select about five innovation actors (total of more than twenty actors) to pioneer the implementation of AI technology ethical review. All types of innovation entities are encouraged to participate and be selected into the Pilot Program, with priority given to local AI leading enterprises while also taking into account SMEs.

In terms of timeline, all provinces and municipalities are required to submit their implementation plans to MIIT by May 20, 2026. The specific trial implementation period will last from June 1 to November 30, 2026. During this period, monthly follow-up shall be conducted to track work progress, understand the status of ethics review and expert re-examination. After the completion of the trial period, the cities/districts that are selected to participate in the Pilot Program shall submit a summary report, and MIIT will conduct a comprehensive evaluation.

For foreign stakeholders, the issuing of the Measures and the Notice marks a new phase in China's AI ethics governance, making it more institutionalized, standardized, and more feasible for. China intends to introduce crucial institutional guidance for promoting the healthy development of AI via the documents, and relevant stakeholders and service providers, especially those locate in the 10 regions that are listed for the Pilot Program, need to be aware of the potential regulatory requirement change for the AI technologies and relevant services, and take necessary actions to avoid potential compliance risk.