TECH

China Enforces AI Content Labeling Rules to Curb Misuse

Published: Sep. 3, 2025 4:59 a.m. GMT+8

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ByteDance Ltd.'s Douyin application on a smartphone. Photo: Bloomberg

China’s long-anticipated rules requiring artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content to be labeled took effect Monday, forcing tech companies and social media platforms to clearly mark material made with AI.

The new regulation, jointly issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security and the National Radio and Television Administration, mandates both explicit and hidden labels for synthetic content.

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China began enforcing mandatory labeling of AI-generated content on September 1, 2025, requiring both visible and hidden labels for synthetic material.
Major Chinese tech firms and platforms, including DeepSeek, Zhipu AI, SenseTime, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu, have implemented compliance measures such as watermarks, disclaimers, and detection tools.
The regulation prohibits tampering with labels and aims to curb misinformation, following a three-month national campaign against AI misuse launched in April 2025.

AI generated, for reference only

Who’s Who

Zhipu AI: Zhipu AI is a Chinese AI developer that has implemented measures to comply with China's new AI labeling rules. Their Qingyan chatbot now displays an "AI-generated" notice, and copied text includes a disclaimer. Zhipu AI also uses both explicit and hidden digital identifiers for all its generated content.

SenseTime Group Inc.: SenseTime Group Inc. (商汤集团) is a major AI developer based in China. In response to new Chinese regulations on AI-generated content, SenseTime has implemented measures such as watermarking its digital humans with "AI-generated" tags and adding disclaimers to conversations with its chatbot. The company has also made APIs and documentation available to partners to assist with integrating labeling features.

ByteDance Ltd.: ByteDance Ltd. owns Douyin, a short-video app. Douyin has implemented guidelines requiring creators to declare AI use in their content. If creators fail to do so, Douyin will use technical tools to detect and label possibly AI-generated material. Douyin also strengthens traceability by adding hidden labels.

Douyin: Douyin, a Chinese short-video app owned by ByteDance, now requires creators to declare AI use in their content. If not, Douyin will use technical tools to detect and label suspected AI-generated material with a cautionary tag. The platform will also add hidden labels for traceability, building on 2023 rules that already mandated AI labeling and real-name registration for virtual humans.

Xiaohongshu: Xiaohongshu, a lifestyle app, has implemented a "three-step guide" for tagging AI-generated posts. It reserves the right to add these labels if creators do not self-declare their use of AI. This measure is part of broader Chinese regulations requiring AI-generated content to be clearly marked.

AI generated, for reference only

What Happened When

2023：: Douyin released 11 platform rules requiring AI labeling and real-name registration for virtual humans.

September 2024：: The measure requiring AI-generated content labeling was first floated as a draft.

March 2025：: The regulation for labeling AI-generated content was formally issued.

April 2025：: Regulators launched a three-month nationwide campaign called 'Clear and Bright' targeting AI misuse.

August 2025：: Douyin issued guidelines instructing creators to declare AI use; Xiaohongshu rolled out a 'three-step guide' for tagging AI-generated posts.