Not sure where to start? Answer 3 questions and get a tailored compliance action plan.
What applies to me? →China's Measures for Labelling AI-Generated and Synthetic Content
Issued by
State Administration for Market Regulation and Standardisation Administration of China
China’s labeling measures cover AI-generated and synthetic content distributed to Chinese users. Platforms, developers, and enterprises must label covered text, images, audio, and video. Required mechanisms include audio Morse codes, encrypted hidden file data, and labels that work in virtual reality.
Applies To
Overview
Issued jointly by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardisation Administration of China, these Measures establish a comprehensive technical and procedural framework for identifying AI-generated and synthetic content across digital platforms. The regulation covers all forms of AI-generated output including text, images, audio, video, and immersive or virtual reality (VR) content made available to users within China. Key provisions require content producers and platform operators to embed labels that software can read automatically, using prescribed methods such as Morse code signals in audio, encrypted watermarks in a file's hidden descriptive data (metadata), and VR-specific labelling methods. The aim is that both automated systems and users can identify AI-origin content. Platforms operating in China must also deploy tools capable of detecting unlabelled AI-generated content and preventing its distribution without proper attribution. Enforcement falls under the State Administration for Market Regulation, which holds authority to investigate violations, issue corrective orders, and impose administrative penalties. The Measures take effect in September 2025, giving enterprises a defined compliance window from the March 2025 publication date.
Key Requirements
- •Apply standardized labels to all AI-generated or AI-synthesized content before distribution to users in China, covering text, image, audio, video, and VR formats.
- •Embed technical labelling using prescribed methods including audio Morse code watermarks, encrypted metadata, and VR-compatible labelling systems.
- •Deploy platform-level detection mechanisms to identify and intercept AI-generated content that lacks required labels prior to publication or distribution.
- •Maintain records of labelling compliance sufficient to demonstrate conformity to regulators upon request.
- •Comply with all requirements by the effective date of September 2025; no phased implementation exemptions are specified for large platforms.
- •Violations are subject to administrative investigation and penalties issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation.
What Your Organization Must Do
- →Audit all content workflows to identify every point at which AI-generated or AI-synthesized content is created, edited, or distributed to users in China.
- →Implement the prescribed technical labelling methods (audio Morse code, encrypted metadata, VR labelling) across relevant content production and publishing systems before September 2025.
- →Buy or build automated tools that can check content for missing or incorrect AI labels before publication on China-facing platforms.
- →Update contracts with third-party AI content vendors and API providers (services that supply AI output directly into your systems) to require pre-labelled content or enough metadata for your teams to apply labels later.
- →Establish internal record-keeping procedures to log labelling actions for each content type and retain evidence available for regulatory inspection.
- →Assign a designated compliance lead responsible for coordinating technical and legal teams across the September 2025 implementation deadline.