China’s major internet platforms roll out AI content labeling ahead of new rule to promote sector’s healthy devt

Visitors watch AI exhibits at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 29, 2025. Photo: VCG

Several major Chinese internet platforms have announced plans to clearly label content that may be generated or synthesized by artificial intelligence (AI), allowing users to easily identify such material. The move aligns with the upcoming rollout of a relevant regulation, set to take effect on Monday, to promote the public's interest and the AI sector's healthy development.

WeChat, Tencent's widely used messaging and social media app, issued a statement on Sunday on an official account, saying that to ensure transparency and credibility in user access to information, the platform is further enhancing its content recognition capabilities. 

"AI-generated synthetic content obtained through these platforms may feature explicit or implicit labels," the statement said, pledging to provide corresponding prompts for content suspected of being AI-generated to facilitate clear public recognition.

To prevent confusion or misidentification during the dissemination of published content, users are required to proactively declare if the material they post is AI-generated and synthesized, the WeChat statement said, showcasing steps for adding relevant labels in posts.

Also on Sunday, Yuanbao, Tencent's AI chatbot, announced that it has actively responded to the identification measures by establishing an AI-generated content labeling management system. It has already added explicit and implicit labels to AI-generated content, the company said in an official statement.

The statement advises users that when disseminating content generated by Yuanbao via the internet, they should maintain the accuracy and integrity of the AI-generated content labels. It also emphasizes that upon becoming aware of or detecting uploaded content as AI-generated, the platform will add prominent prompts around the published material.

In recent years, the rapid development of generative AI and deep synthesis technologies has driven economic growth, and facilitated public life. However, it has also led to issues such as the spread of false information and disruption of the online ecosystem, according to the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).

In March 2025, the CAC and three other Chinese authorities jointly announced "Measures for identifying AI-generated synthetic content," which will come into force on Monday. 

According to the measures, platforms are required to attach explicit and implicit labels to AI-generated content to promote the healthy development of AI and standardize the identification of such materials.

It also emphasizes that no organization or individual may maliciously remove, alter, forge, or conceal AI-generated content identifiers. Furthermore, it is prohibited to provide tools or services that enable such malicious conduct or to use improper labeling methods that infringe upon the lawful rights and interests of others.

The introduction and implementation of these measures represent a timely and necessary response to security risks posed by AI deepfake technology, including disinformation, online fraud, and public opinion manipulation, Ma Jihua, a veteran telecom industry observer, told the Global Times on Sunday.

"By mandating labels that serve as a 'digital ID' for AI-generated content, the public can be effectively alerted, and the threshold for malicious dissemination can be raised. This is a crucial step to curb potential harm at the source," he added.

Other internet platforms have made similar commitments. Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, a popular Chinese social media platform, stated on Saturday that it has launched the same identification technology and features to "help everyone more intuitively distinguish between AI-generated synthetic and non-AI content," according to the company's official statement.

The platform has provided labeling options both during note-posting and content management phases, making it easier for creators to make voluntary declarations while ensuring compliance, the statement said.

Meanwhile, for AI-generated content that is not proactively declared, the platform reserves the right to add explicit or implicit identifiers in accordance with legal requirements, the statement said, adding that users are prohibited from maliciously removing, altering, or concealing these labels.

Bilibili, a leading Chinese video-sharing platform, has also committed to similar measures, stating that uploaders can easily make voluntary declarations when using AI technology to produce high-quality content. During submission, creators may click the relevant function in the publishing interface to add identifiers.

Ma noted that the implementation of the regulation will safeguard the public's right to know, and provide clear compliance guidelines for the healthy and orderly expansion of the industry, showcasing China's forward-looking determination in AI governance and reflecting a responsible attitude toward the digital future.