TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After viral artificial intelligence-generated works raised ethical and legal issues, the Taiwan government announced the first draft of a bill to regulate AI technology.

On Saturday (March 25), the International Artificial Intelligence and Law Research Foundation held the “Presentation on a Proposal for the Artificial Intelligence Basic Act.” Minister Without Portfolio and Cabinet Spokesperson Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成), Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-hsiang (蔡清祥), Deputy Minister of Digital Affairs Yeh Ning (葉寧), and Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Lin Minn-tsong (林敏聰) attended the event.

Lo said in a speech, “As AI technology gradually matures, AI will bring us more convenience and efficiency as well as resolve current problems and future challenges. This is why we are very concerned about AI’s development in Taiwan and have included AI in the government’s major policies.”

He added that other countries around the world have also designed policies and regulations in response to the rise of AI technology with the goal of ensuring its development and application.

According to Lo, the government is actively discussing and creating AI regulations to ensure that its development matches society’s demands and protects people’s rights and security. He hailed the birth of the first draft of the Artificial Intelligence Basic Act as “major progress.”

“Legal issues about personal data and AI are the two focuses of our current discussions. We must think about and resolve these issues to ensure that digital policy laws are up to date and AI development in the country is better protected and applied,” Lo said.

At the end of his remarks, Lo revealed that his speech had been produced by ChatGPT. “Are speeches like this and AI-produced works protected by freedom of speech?” he asked, adding that the government must be vigilant about these types of issues.