Anticipatory obedience: Apple implements deletion for generative AI apps in China

Apple has removed a large number of artificial intelligence applications from the App Store for the People’s Republic of China. According to observers, it should have been over 100. The reason is apparently that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) will soon issue new rules that require a license for apps that use generative AI. It was initially unclear why Apple acted in anticipatory obedience here.

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First there, now (almost) all gone

In China, numerous AI apps that are popular in the West were either not accessible or only accessible indirectly. This includes ChatGPT. The new guidelines of the MIIT should actually only apply from the middle of this month. E-mails to developers of the same name state that so-called “Deep Synthesis Technologies” (DST), another name for generative AI systems, must meet “eligibility requirements” in order to be offered in China. This should not have been the case with the now blocked applications, according to Apple.

One of the deleted apps, OpenCat from developer Zhenlu Zou, uses ChatGPT, which Apple also mentions in its letter. “Our review found that your app is connected to ChatGPT, which does not have the necessary permits to operate in China.” The IT blog TechCrunch was able to understand that a number of apps are no longer available. A collection was published on Twitter.

Apple adheres to “local rules”

With its range of services, Apple always emphasizes that you have to comply with local laws and regulations. Accordingly, the AI ​​censorship is not the first of its kind, and other programs that are not permitted in China are also missing from the local app store. It is also known that the iCloud data in China is hosted by a service provider close to the government. There were also allegations of censorship against Apple recently from Hong Kong, where Beijing has been tightening the thumbscrews against free society for years.

The Chinese government fears that large language models such as ChatGPT, but also image generators, could produce content that is officially banned in the country. This includes mentions of the popular uprising of 1989 and other content that could disrupt the “socialist order”. China is working on generative AI itself, which is under the strict scrutiny of the authorities.

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