China launches pilot program for AI ethics review, services

BEIJING -- China has launched a pilot program for artificial intelligence (AI) ethics review and services, according to a notice issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The pilot program will first be carried out in provincial-level regions that are home to national pilot zones for AI industrial innovation and application in a bid to explore practical approaches to implementing AI ethics review and service mechanisms.

The move comes as ethical risks in AI, including algorithmic discrimination and emotional dependence, have become increasingly prominent, underscoring the need to establish such mechanisms.

Key tasks of the program include refining provincial-level AI sci-tech ethics review rules, guiding the establishment of sci-tech ethics committees, exploring the building of ethics review and service centers, carrying out AI ethics review practices, turning review experience into technical standards, and improving ethics review reporting mechanisms.

The notice calls for establishing a national AI ethics risk monitoring service network, compiling related training materials, offering regular ethics courses, and providing ethics risk monitoring and early-warning services to support pilot cities.