The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) in China has made it an important player on the global stage. In response to society's concerns over potential issues that could arise from this new technology, China has rolled out several sets of rules regarding the use of AI which will have an impact on companies that intend to integrate AI into their daily operations in the Chinese market. The Interim Measures for the Administration of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services (AI Measures), released on July 10, 2023, have become a hot topic of conversation. While they represent a significant milestone in China's efforts to regulate AI, they may only have a limited impact on the companies using AI technologies.  

There is now another set of rules, but the title does not refer to the term AI so could be easily overlooked: the Technology Ethics Review Measures (Trial), promulgated by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) together with several other ministries and institutions on September 7, 2023, which entered into effect on December 1, 2023 (Review Measures). After comparing with the earlier AI Measures, the Review Measures appear to be more relevant to international companies that plan to apply AI technologies in the course of their business in China and will be subject to some statutory obligations, including actionable measures. Dr. Michael Tan and Julian Sun, from Taylor Wessing, analyze these measures, exploring their relevance and practical implications for organizations.  

Since 2021, in the wake of the Provisional Regulations on Data Security Management of the Automotive (the Automotive Data Regulations), and under the purview of China’s data protection legislation landmark legislations - the Data Security Law (DSL) and the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), data protection and cybersecurity concerns have become increasingly prominent in the automotive industry. The strengthened rules in processing automotive data impose challenges for automotive companies, especially in the process of human-machine interaction, e.g., the function of 360° panoramic camera, interior remote monitoring, remote intelligent parking, etc. In this article, Sherry Gong and Tong Zhu, from Hogan Lovells, look at the key compliance requirements and challenges for automotive companies to consider when navigating data protection in China.

On 2 December 2022, the Communist Party of China ('CPC') Central Committee and the State Council jointly released the Opinions on Building Basic Systems for Data to Better Play the Role of Data Factors ('the Opinions'), in order to speed up efforts to build basic systems for data, give full play to China's strengths in massive-scale data and rich application scenarios, and stimulate the potential of data factors. Dr. Annie Xue and Yang Chen, from GEN Law Firm, outline the key takeaways from the Opinions.