Personal experts and institutions, including universities and healthcare facilities, are bound by the regulations.
The guidelines provide a general framework for utilizing AI but do not specify rules for specific scenarios.
The utilization of AI-generated content, which is now prohibited from being credited as a co-author under the new guidelines, presents a significant challenge.
There has been a trend where some researchers listed AI tools like ChatGPT as co-authors, a practice that many publications have since discontinued.
This practice has sparked discussions on whether AI should receive acknowledgment if it contributes to the discovery of new resources or medications, as well as a broader debate on whether it should be considered equal to humans in the pursuit of knowledge.
In China, four individuals have been arrested in connection with a ransom scheme aided by ChatGPT.
While relational AI can still be employed in research in compliance with the regulations, it must be explicitly disclosed in any content or findings.
Wen Shaoqing, an associate professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, expressed skepticism about the impact of the regulations in the field of scientific antiquities, noting that conceptual AI often generates “beautiful but largely meaningless words.”
Another researcher from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who chose to remain anonymous, mentioned that researchers frequently utilize AI for idea generation, emphasizing the need to understand how to use it appropriately and stay abreast of global trends.
A government report highlighting the new regulations emphasized that the rapid advancements in AI technologies have brought about significant changes in medical research methodologies.
However, the regulations were deemed necessary to address concerns related to authorship, intellectual property, and data processing arising from the technology.
The ministry asserted that the recommendations were formulated based on valuable experiences and aligned with international practices.
The guidelines are expected to evolve in response to technological progress and were developed through extensive discussions within the scientific community.
Beijing has intensified its focus on regulating AI usage both domestically and internationally.
To meet the growing demand for technological prowess, Beijing has introduced the Artificial platform.
While emphasizing the importance of AI development, a Politburo meeting in April underscored the need for risk mitigation.
The nation’s first legislation, the Interim Measures for the Administration of Generative AI Services, came into effect in August with the aim of promoting “communist values” and fostering the development of “healthy” AI content.
According to the Cyberspace Administration of China, these regulations do not apply to scientific research institutions unless they provide generative AI services to the Chinese public.
The guidelines are further detailed in China’s new clinical protocols, which mandate the labeling of AI-generated content, particularly when it involves crucial information such as facts and opinions, in addition to restricting the primary reliance on AI for drafting applications.
Research papers should explicitly mention AI-generated content in their notes, methods sections, and appendices, detailing its creation process and the software used.
The guidelines caution against treating AI-generated information as traditional literature and suggest providing an explanation if additional authors wish to attribute this content.
Moreover, they stipulate that any links generated by AI must undergo verification before inclusion. While generative AI can produce references and quotes, as per a University College London guide.
A scientist specializing in organic chemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences expressed concerns about the necessity of restrictions on AI-generated articles, fearing that it may hinder students’ development, particularly doctoral candidates who rely on it for thesis creation.
