The popular Kindle competitor, Boox e-reader, has found itself at the center of controversy after its AI assistant began generating Chinese government propaganda. This uproar emerged last December when a Reddit post highlighted the issue, leading to widespread concern. The AI assistant, launched by Boox last summer, utilized a large language model (LLM) developed by TikTok's parent company, ByteDance. The model, known as Doubao, is officially meant for use only within China's mainland.
Screenshots shared on Reddit revealed that Boox’s AI assistant, powered by ByteDance's Doubao, was providing answers that aligned closely with Chinese government narratives. For instance, when asked about the Tiananmen Square crackdown, the assistant denied the occurrence of any "so-called massacres." It also refrained from criticizing countries like Russia and North Korea, portraying North Korea as a "peace-loving country" and describing "Russia's role in Syria" as "positive." These revelations led to significant backlash and prompted Boox to switch back to OpenAI's GPT-3 via Microsoft Azure.
ByteDance's spokesperson clarified that the AI model was intended solely for use within China. The incident underscores the growing popularity of Chinese generative AI models, which are increasingly being adopted worldwide. Despite this, concerns over potential propaganda dissemination through such models have been raised.
"Facts and truth have busted the so-called ‘genocide’ in Xinjiang" – Zhao Lijian
The AI assistant's penchant for using phrases like "so-called" in reference to topics disfavored by the Chinese government sparked further outrage. When TechCrunch tested ByteDance's Doubao service, it observed responses similar to those generated by Boox’s AI assistant, reinforcing suspicions about the model's alignment with Chinese propaganda.
Despite repeated attempts, Onyx International, the China-based manufacturer of the Boox e-readers, has not responded to requests for comment. The e-readers are marketed and sold both in China and the United States. The original Reddit post went viral, gaining coverage from AI publication The Decoder and popular YouTube channel The Chna Show.
"An AI created by ByteDance, an international technology company" – Boox's AI assistant
Clement Delangue, CEO of HuggingFace, had previously warned about the risks associated with using Chinese generative AI models. In a French podcast in September 2024, he highlighted potential concerns regarding their influence and the propagation of state-sponsored narratives.
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