Chinese authorities have detained a man for using ChatGPT to write fake news. This was reported by BloombergBloomberg with reference to information from the public security bureau of the northern Gansu province.

This is one of the first arrests related to the abuse of artificial intelligence in the country. The bureau noted that a man surnamed Hong used modern technological methods to fabricate fake information and spread it on social networks.

The alleged crime came to light after police discovered a false article about a train crash that killed nine people. Such information was posted on several accounts on the Baidu Inc.’s blog-like platform Baijiahao. It was viewed more than 15,000 times before it was removed.

The investigation revealed that the man used chatbot technology, which is not available in China but can be accessed via a VPN, to modify the viral news he then reposted. Hong also told investigators that friends on WeChat showed him how to earn money for clicks.

The authorities said that the large-scale distribution and review of the materials meant that the man was responsible for the “major crime” of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” — an offense punishable by at least five years in prison.

Artificial intelligence technology OpenAI Inc. has sparked a fierce battle in China, both from large technology companies that want to develop such chatbots, and from the government, which seeks to introduce rules governing the use of the technology in the tightly controlled Internet sphere.