Chinese actor Jin Dong has expressed concern over artificial inelligence con artists who impersonate him, and called for tougher laws to tackle such rackets. - Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin/Weibo
BEIJING: During China’s key Two Sessions meeting that concluded on Tuesday (March 11), Chinese actor Jin Dong called for legislation and better regulations on artificial intelligence (AI), especially deepfake face-swapping technologies that victimised many of his fans.
The Two Sessions is China’s annual meetings of the country’s top legislative and political advisory body – the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Jin, 48, is a CPPCC member and is widely known as the most popular Chinese actor among middle-aged Chinese women.
Multiple women were previously reported to have fallen victim to AI-generated fake Jin Dongs on social media.
Jin Dong, left, and a woman fan showing one of the deepfake copies of his persona on a mobile phone. - Photo: Weibo
In 2020, a 61-year-old woman from eastern China’s Jiangxi province lost 5kg in weight and almost split with her husband, after she fell for fake Jin videos on social media.
She even planned to travel 2,000km to see Jin, who she said had promised to gift her one million yuan (US$140,000) and a flat.
In 2022, a woman in her 60s in Shanghai enjoyed chatting with AI-generated Jin so much that she transferred “Jin” 200,000 yuan (US$28,000) to take part in his public welfare project.
The Shanghai police arrested eight scammers that used AI to disguise themselves as Jin and cheated money out of middle-aged women in 2023.
It is understood that many women fell for the actor due to his mature and elite gentleman image in television series.
Jin played leading roles in many viral dramas, such as The Disguiser, The First Half of My Life, and Mr Right.
Jin said he worried about his fans who suffered from AI scams, and called for “better regulations” on the new technology.
The founder and CEO of smartphone brand, Lei Jun, also made similar suggestions during the Two Sessions meeting. He was also a victim of deepfake videos, which showed people talking dirty with his face and voice.
Artificial intelligence was a highly relevant topic during this year’s Two Sessions.
A number of NPC deputies and CPPCC members offered suggestions related to AI, such as improving its integration with other industries, supporting start-ups such as DeepSeek that increase the technology’s accessibility, and enhancing regulations.
According to Chinese cybersecurity firm Qi An Xin, scams using deepfake AI increased 30 times in 2023.
The National People’s Congress’s Standing Committee said it had planned to research and formulate a law on AI.
The industry is currently regulated by the Interim Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services, which was enacted in August 2023. - South China Morning Post
