China
AI Regulation

China operates the most extensive binding sectoral AI regulatory regime globally, with no single comprehensive AI law to date. Regulation has developed through a succession of vertical instruments addressing specific AI applications, supported by a growing body of national standards and by the general data protection, cybersecurity and data security framework. Key instruments include:

Algorithmic Recommendation Management Provisions (effective March 2022), governing the use of recommendation algorithms in internet information services.

Provisions on the Administration of Deep Synthesis Internet Information Services (effective January 2023), governing synthetic audio, video, image, and text.

Interim Measures for the Management of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services (effective August 2023), establishing China's core framework for public-facing generative AI, including filing obligations with the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). As of 28 February 2026, 796 generative AI services and 481 applications or functions have completed registration.

Measures for Labelling AI-Generated and Synthetic Content (effective 1 September 2025), mandating visible and invisible labelling of AI-generated content, supported by the mandatory national standard GB 45438-2025 (Cybersecurity technology: Labeling method for content generated by artificial intelligence).

Cybersecurity Law amendments (effective 1 January 2026). The first major update to the 2017 CSL, introducing an explicit article on AI covering algorithmic innovation, access to training data and computing infrastructure, ethical norms, risk monitoring and safety oversight. The amendments also increase penalty thresholds, expand liability for violations, and consolidate incident-reporting obligations.

Interim Measures for the Management of Anthropomorphic AI Interaction Services (issued 10 April 2026, effective 15 July 2026). Jointly issued by the CAC, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Administration for Market Regulation, these Measures apply to services that simulate the personality traits, thinking patterns and communication styles of natural persons and engage users in continuous emotional interaction. Obligations include mandatory AI-identity disclosure, dynamic reminders, a two-hour break prompt, a minor mode, opt-in consent for the use of interaction data in model training, safety assessments triggered at user-number thresholds, and an outright prohibition on the provision of virtual companion services to minors. The draft version was released for public consultation on 27 December 2025.

A draft comprehensive AI Law has been on the legislative agenda since 2023. No official draft was published until December 2025; the timeline to enactment remains unclear.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) is the primary regulator, working in coordination with the NDRC, MIIT, MPS, SAMR, and sectoral authorities. National standards are developed principally through the National Information Security Standardisation Technical Committee (TC260), whose AI Security Standards Working Group (WG9) was opened to new member organisations in March 2026.