(Trial) Measures for Artificial Intelligence Technology Ethics Management Services (Draft for Public Feedback)

• Authority: Chinese central government
• Jurisdiction: China
• Collections: Chinese law and policy
• Most recent activity: Proposed
• Most recent activity date: 2025-08-07

Risk subdomain coverage

Good coverage — Comprehensive governance measures or mitigations with clear procedures relating to the risk subdomain are explicitly described.

• Unfair discrimination and misrepresentation
• AI system security vulnerabilities
• Lack of capability or robustness
• Lack of transparency or interpretability

Minimal coverage — Brief mention but no specific mitigations, recommendations or governance measures relating to the risk subdomain are described.

• Unequal performance across groups
• Disinformation, surveillance, and influence at scale
• Cyberattacks, weapon development or use
• Fraud, scams, and targeted manipulation
• Loss of human agency and autonomy
• AI pursuing its own goals
• AI possessing dangerous capabilities

All other risk subdomains had no coverage in this document.

Risk Coverage Summary

The document has good coverage of approximately 6 subdomains, with strong focus on unfair discrimination (1.1), AI system security vulnerabilities (2.2), lack of robustness (7.3), and lack of transparency (7.4). It also addresses malicious actor risks through misuse provisions (4.1, 4.2, 4.3) and human agency concerns (5.2) at a minimal level. Coverage is concentrated in discrimination/toxicity, security, and AI safety domains.

Sector coverage

Good coverage — Comprehensive governance measures or mitigations with clear procedures relating to the sector are explicitly described.

• Scientific Research & Development Services
• Educational Services
• Health Care & Social Assistance

Minimal coverage — Brief mention but no specific mitigations, recommendations or governance measures relating to the sector are described.

• Information
• Professional & Technical Services

All other sectors had no coverage in this document.

Sectors Summary

This is a horizontal regulation governing AI research and development activities across multiple sectors in China. It explicitly applies to universities (Educational Services), research institutions (Scientific Research and Development Services), healthcare institutions (Health Care and Social Assistance), and enterprises conducting AI activities. The regulation is sector-agnostic, focusing on AI S&T activities regardless of industry.

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a binding regulatory instrument issued by Chinese government ministries (MIIT and MOST) with mandatory language throughout, formal enforcement mechanisms including penalties and sanctions for violations, and required compliance procedures for all entities conducting AI S&T activities in China.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT); Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)
• Summary: MIIT and MOST are identified as the authorities responsible for formulating these Measures and providing overall guidance. Article 36 states these ministries are responsible for interpretation of the Measures, and Article 29 assigns them coordination and guidance roles.

Target

• Entity Types: AI_Developer, AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Institutes of higher education; Scientific research institutions; Medical and health institutions; Enterprises; S&T-related social organizations
• Summary: The document explicitly targets work units conducting AI S&T activities in China, including universities, research institutions, healthcare institutions, and enterprises. These entities must establish ethics committees and undergo ethics reviews for their AI activities.

Enforcer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST); Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT); Local agencies at provincial level; Relevant main oversight departments of the State Council
• Summary: MOST provides overall ethics supervision, MIIT coordinates AI technology ethics governance, and local agencies enforce within their jurisdictions. Article 32 establishes that violations are subject to punishments under existing laws.

Monitor

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Entities: Artificial Intelligence Technology Ethics Committees; AI technology ethics service centers; Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST); Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT); Local agencies; Relevant main oversight departments
• Summary: Ethics Committees and Service Centers conduct follow-up reviews and monitor AI S&T activities at regular intervals. Government departments monitor through registration systems and annual reporting requirements established in Articles 17, 25, and 30.

AI Lifecycle Stages

Lifecycle stages covered by the documents, as defined in the OECD Framework for the Classification of AI Systems

• Plan and Design
• Collect and Process Data
• Build and Use Model
• Verify and Validate
• Deploy
• Operate and Monitor

AI Lifecycle Summary

The document comprehensively covers all AI lifecycle stages from planning through operational monitoring. It requires ethics review of design plans, data collection methods, model development, testing/validation procedures, deployment specifications, and ongoing monitoring. The emphasis on follow-up reviews and continuous monitoring demonstrates particular attention to the Operate and Monitor stage.

Technical Scope

Terms relating to technical scope that are mentioned or implicitly referenced in the document

• AI Models
• AI Systems
• Generative AI

Technical Scope Summary

The document broadly references AI models, algorithms, and systems throughout without defining specific technical categories. It mentions specific application types including deep synthesis, algorithmic recommendations, and generative AI services. No compute thresholds, foundation models, or open-weight model distinctions are mentioned. The governance applies generally to AI S&T activities regardless of technical architecture.