China's Supreme People's Court has issued its first dedicated judicial guidelines targeting artificial intelligence disputes, laying down clear legal boundaries for deepfakes, copyright, data training, and autonomous driving liabilities as Beijing balances technological innovation with legal safeguards.
The 24-article "Opinions of the Supreme People's Court on Lawfully Trying Cases Involving Artificial Intelligence Disputes," released Monday, sets comprehensive judicial standards across civil, intellectual property, and criminal matters involving AI. The document strictly regulates unauthorized "AI face-swapping" and voice synthesis, prohibits the unauthorized digital "resurrection" of deceased individuals, targets algorithmic price discrimination, and outlines clear fault allocation between drivers, vehicle manufacturers, and AI system providers in autonomous driving accidents.
Addressing intellectual property and technological development, the judicial guidelines establish that natural persons who make substantial innovative contributions to AI-generated creations can be legally recognized as patent inventors. Additionally, the court clarified that utilizing publicly available personal data within reasonable bounds for AI model training does not constitute infringement, seeking to balance individual privacy rights with the data demands of AI developers.
The guidelines also introduce strict rules governing judicial proceedings, requiring parties using AI to draft legal materials or present evidence to verify their authenticity. Using AI to fabricate evidence, commit fraud, or disrupt court proceedings will face severe legal penalties, bridging civil rules with criminal enforcement. Supreme People's Court Vice President Tao Kaiyuan stated that the court aims to ensure AI technology remains "people-centered and directed toward good," providing robust legal guarantees for China's modern industrial development.
The judicial ruling arrives as Beijing actively expands its global AI footprint, framing domestic legal safeguards as part of a wider effort to build an inclusive global AI governance framework. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning highlighted China’s commitment to facilitating accessible AI technology for the Global South, pointing to a new AI capacity-building seminar launched this week at Peking University.
Running from Sept. 7 to Sept. 12, the Peking University workshop serves as the initial step in implementing President Xi Jinping's pledge—made at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference—to provide 5,000 AI training slots for developing nations over the next five years. Mao noted that through initiatives like the Inclusive AI Capacity Building Action Plan and the establishment of the World AI Cooperation Organization, China aims to help developing countries establish tailored AI development paths, ensuring the technology generates lasting value for global welfare.
