China Slams ChatGPT, Asks Tech Giants Not To Use Chatbot Over 'Uncensored' Replies: Report

Tencent and Ant Group have reportedly been instructed not to utilise ChatGPT "either directly or via third parties."

Beijing's clampdown on ChatGPT wasn't surprising for many in China's tech industry.

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ChatGPT, the AI-driven chatbot developed by OpenAI that is capable of providing surprisingly detailed solutions to users' queries, has seen a great popularity among individuals and institutions alike. Ever since its prototype launch in November 2022, ChatGPT has been used to do an array of tasks, from writing school essays to generating programming codes. However, it is also being slammed by several organisations, banning its use. Now, China claims that ChatGPT is spreading US government "misinformation". The Chinese government is reportedly asking tech companies not to use it in their applications. 

As per a report by Nikkei Asia, regulators in the country have asked Tencent and Alibaba's Ant Group to not offer ChatGPT services to the public, claiming that there's a "growing alarm in Beijing over the AI-powered chatbot's uncensored replies to user queries."

The aforementioned firms have reportedly been instructed not to utilise ChatGPT "either directly or via third parties."

Beijing's clampdown on ChatGPT wasn't surprising for many in China's tech industry, the report said. As the world is cashing in on the popularity of ChatGPT, experts believe that developing its Chinese competitor will surely face censorship, cost and data challenges, as in the case of big Internet companies like Alibaba and Tencent.

According to a report by the South China Morning Post, a recent white paper published by the municipal technology bureau of Beijing offered support to local companies in developing ChatGPT rivals. "But this will be easier said than done, owing to differences in the structure of the English and Chinese languages, cost pressures, availability of data sets, and last but not least — the thorny issue of censorship in China," the report noted.

China's ruling Communist Party has always controlled the flow of political and social discussion within the country. The restrictions limit the data sets which scientists use to train AI chat models.

(With inputs from IANS)