Police Launch Multi-Pronged Offensive Against AI-Powered Crime as 15th Five-Year Plan Begins

At a press conference on July 24th, senior officials from the Ministry of Public Security detailed their efforts to combat a new wave of crimes committed using advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, as part of the national strategy for the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

AI-Powered Crimes on the Rise

The Ministry outlined a sharp increase in criminal activities leveraging AI, including identity theft to infiltrate government and corporate systems, sophisticated impersonation scams targeting individuals, and the large-scale generation of online disinformation. These tactics are being used to steal property, violate privacy, erode social trust, and threaten national security.

Key Response Measures

In response, authorities have intensified their crackdowns. This year alone, over 170 cases involving the creation of online rumors using AI tools have been investigated, with more than 190 individuals prosecuted. The police are also focusing on dismantling the criminal networks that provide the underlying technical support for these schemes, aiming to eliminate the problem at its source.

Proactive Risk Assessment and Intervention

To get ahead of emerging threats, the Ministry is deploying big data analytics to build risk-assessment models. These models analyze patterns such as high-frequency unfamiliar video calls, silent recording calls, multiple rapid requests for facial recognition data, and video calls initiated from overseas, generating precise early-warning alerts. These alerts are then sent to local police departments to initiate preemptive warnings and interventions with potential victims.

Monitoring AI Model Security

Furthermore, the Ministry is conducting focused monitoring of potential security risks within major AI large-language models. Operators are being notified of vulnerabilities to ensure they are patched. So far this year, over 600 inspections of AI application services have been conducted, leading to more than 30 administrative actions—including warnings, orders for rectification, and service shutdowns—against non-compliant providers.