Chinese Cops Nab Man For Using ChatGPT To Spread Rumors

Police in China have detained a man they say used ChatGPT to create fake news and spread it online in what state media has called the country’s first criminal case related to the AI chatbot, Chris Lau reported for CNN.

Photo Insert: ChatGPT, developed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI, is banned in China, though internet users can use virtual private networks (VPN) to access it.

According to a statement from police in the northwest province of Gansu, the suspect allegedly used ChatGPT to generate a bogus report about a train crash, which he then posted online for profit.

The article received about 15,000 views, the police said in Sunday’s statement. ChatGPT, developed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI, is banned in China, though internet users can use virtual private networks (VPN) to access it.

Train crashes have been a sensitive issue in China since 2011, when authorities faced pressure to explain why state media had failed to provide timely updates on a bullet train collision in the city of Wenzhou that resulted in 40 deaths.

Gansu authorities said the suspect, surnamed Hong, was questioned in the city of Dongguan in southern Guangdong province on May 5.

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