Chinese authorities issued guidelines on Friday requiring labels on all artificial intelligence-generated content circulated online, aiming to combat the misuse of AI and the spread of false information.

The regulations, jointly issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the National Radio and Television Administration, will take effect on Sept 1.

A spokesperson for the Cyberspace Administration said the move aims to "put an end to the misuse of AI generative technologies and the spread of false information."

The guidelines stipulate that content generated or synthesized using AI technologies, including texts, images, audios, videos and virtual scenes, must be labeled both visibly and invisibly.

For content generated by deep synthesis technologies that might confuse or mislead the public, explicit labels must be placed in a reasonable position to ensure public awareness.

Explicit labels are those applied within the generated content or user interface, presented in forms such as text, sound, or graphics that are clearly perceptible to users.

Additionally, the guideline requires that implicit labels be added to the metadata of generated content files. These labels should include details about the content's attributes, the service provider's name or code, and content identification numbers.

Metadata files are descriptive information embedded in the file's header, recording details about the content's source, attributes and purpose.

Service providers that disseminate content online must verify that the metadata of the content files contain implicit AIGC labels, and that users have declared the content as AI-generated or synthesized. Prominent labels should also be added around the content to inform users.

AI generative technology has been used to create seemingly realistic content for publicity stunts or commercial gain. For instance, a news report claiming that one in every 20 individuals born in the 1980s had passed away caused a public uproar last month, only to be revealed as a rumor fabricated by AI.

AI generative technology has also been used to clone the voices and faces of many celebrities to produce deepfakes, which constitutes infringement and should be subject to legal accountability.

Earlier this month, 14th National People's Congress deputy and Xiaomi Corp founder Lei Jun, and 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference member and actor Jin Dong, both proposed establishing laws and regulations for AI-generated content during the annual sessions of the 14th NPC and 14th CPPCC National Committee.

"Some viewers who like my movies and TV shows have been deceived by deepfake videos that clone my face, which is a very malicious act. I hope relevant rules can be established and enhanced," said Jin Dong during a panel discussion during the two sessions.

Tu Lingbo, a professor at the Communication University of China, told China Daily in a previous interview that the influx of unlabeled content generated by AI could disrupt the internet ecosystem and pose challenges to internet governance.

"Relevant laws and regulations on AI-generated content should be established and improved," Tu said.