China has taken its latest move to regulate the rapidly growing digital human industry, aiming to balance aggressive AI adoption with strict social and political control. The primary requirement is that all virtual human content must be clearly and prominently labeled as digital humans to prevent confusion with real people. Furthermore, the rules explicitly ban “virtual intimate relationships” for users under 18 and prohibit services designed to mislead children or fuel digital addiction.
Additionally, it is forbidden to use a person’s information to create a digital human without their consent, and virtual humans cannot be used to bypass identity verification systems. Moreover, digital humans are strictly prohibited from generating content that endangers national security, promotes secession, or undermines national unity.
It is pertinent to note that recent draft regulations prohibit the use of personal information to create digital humans without consent. In this regard, Beijing’s efforts to maintain control in the face of rapid AI advancement are notable. China is balancing its ambition to aggressively adopt AI throughout its economy-as outlined in the five-year policy blueprint issued last month-with a crystal-clear approach to tightening industry governance.
The recent push comes when the industry is booming to ensure safety and alignment with the country’s socialist values. Meanwhile, the new rules seek to fill a gap in governance in the digital human sector, while drawing clear red lines for the healthy development of the industry, according to an analysis published on the cyberspace regulator’s website.
It further outlines the governance of digital virtual humans is not an issue to align with industry norms, it has become a strategic scientific challenge that concerns the security of cyberspace and delivering the high-quality development of the digital economy. These regulations align with China’s five-year blueprint to integrate AI into the economy while ensuring the technology remains consistent with socialist values. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) views these rules as essential for both national security and the continued growth of the digital sector.
