China’s top court sets rules for AI deepfakes and other disputes

BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) — A familiar face on a video call may not be what it seems, as artificial intelligence (AI) can now replicate people’s faces and voices with startling realism, creating new challenges for the law. On Monday, China’s top court issued guidelines spelling out when such AI-generated content can lead to legal liability.

The guidelines, released by the Supreme People’s Court (SPC), address a range of emerging disputes, including AI deepfakes and voice cloning, algorithmic price discrimination and AI-generated false information.

They make clear that people cannot use AI to create or distribute recognizable digital replicas of others without their consent, including cloned faces and voices. Such use constitutes an infringement of individuals’ rights, while using AI-generated faces or voices to spread false claims or damage someone’s reputation can also result in legal liability.

China has already addressed such issues in court. In April 2024, the Beijing Internet Court ruled in the country’s first AI-generated voice infringement case that using AI to recreate a person’s identifiable voice without their consent can infringe upon their rights.

China is a global leader in AI development. The size of the country’s AI industry was estimated to exceed 1.2 trillion yuan (about 177 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025, up 40 percent year on year.

Also, China was home to more than 6,600 AI companies as of June 2026, representing 15 percent of the global total. The country has developed a complete industrial system spanning foundational infrastructure, models and frameworks, and sector-specific applications.

The new rules come as AI-generated impersonation becomes increasingly easy to create and difficult to distinguish from authentic content. A handful of photographs or a short voice recording can provide enough material to produce a convincing digital replica.

The guidelines also address algorithmic discrimination against consumers. Businesses that use algorithms to offer different prices or other transaction terms for the same goods or services without reasonable justification may be held liable if the practice causes harm to consumers.

“We cannot expect every consumer to become an expert at spotting deception. The law must step in promptly to protect consumers’ legitimate rights and interests,” said Zhou Jiahai, head of the research office of the SPC.

Another challenge is that generative AI systems can produce false or inaccurate information, commonly known as “AI hallucinations.”

AI service providers can be held liable if they are notified that their systems have generated content that infringes a person’s rights but fail to take timely action.

Users, too, can be held responsible for how they use AI. Anyone who deliberately uses prompts or other methods to induce an AI system to generate infringing content that harms others can be held liable.

The guidelines also provide a way for people to seek swift protection when AI-generated content threatens to cause serious and irreversible harm. For example, someone whose face has been digitally altered and used to spread false and defamatory sexual claims may ask a court for an injunction if waiting to act could cause harm that would be difficult to repair later.

China is advancing its “AI Plus” initiative to promote the extensive and in-depth integration of AI into various sectors and fields of the economy and society.

As AI advances, governments worldwide are grappling with the challenge of encouraging innovation while also protecting people from potential harm.

China has taken a series of steps to address the challenges posed by AI. In September 2025, it put into effect measures governing the labeling of AI-generated and synthesized content. The SPC’s latest guidelines set out how courts should handle AI-related disputes, adding to China’s evolving legal framework for AI.

During the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in July, China stressed the need for adhering to the principles of openness and win-win and boosting innovation-driven development, strengthening risk awareness and ensuring that AI is secure and controllable, encouraging inclusiveness and promoting mutual learning between civilizations, and advocating solidarity and improving global governance.

At the event, an action plan on international AI ethics governance was released.

It calls on countries to take action in light of their national conditions in areas including ethical governance throughout the AI lifecycle, categorized and tiered risk prevention and control, the development of agile governance mechanisms, the cultivation of a collaborative ecosystem across industrial chains, and the fostering of a favorable social environment.

As part of the efforts of China to implement the plan, stakeholders across industrial chains will be encouraged to clarify the boundaries of their rights and responsibilities.