China’s Internet regulator orders online AI algorithms to promote ‘mainstream values’

Systems should direct users to approved material on subjects like Xi Jinping Thought, or which showcase the country’s economic and social development, Cyberspace Administration of China says. — SCMP

Chinese social media platforms, websites and apps that use algorithms powered by artificial intelligence to recommend or suggest content to their users must ensure the technology steers people towards material that adheres to “mainstream values”, the country’s top Internet regulator said.

The Cyberspace Administration of China released its draft regulations on “managing the cyberspace ecosystem” on Tuesday in another sign of how the ruling Communist Party is increasingly turning to technology to cement its ideological control over society.