Man detained for using AI tools to fabricate, spread rumor

The public security authorities have imposed an eight-day administrative detention on a man who used AI tools to fabricate and spread rumors that a celebrity lost 1 billion yuan ($138.2 million) gambling in Macao, the authorities announced on Friday.

Since March 10, a rumor claiming that a top-tier celebrity lost 1 billion yuan ($138.2 million) gambling in Macao has been circulating on online platforms, sparking heated discussions and widespread speculation among netizens. An investigation by cybersecurity authorities revealed that a netizen surnamed Xu, 36 years old, in an attempt to gain traffic and illicit profits, used the AI content-generation feature of an app at 10 am on March 10, 2025, to create and publish a fabricated post titled "Top celebrity exposed for losing 1 billion yuan in overseas gambling, triggering a public outcry." The post quickly spread across online platforms, leading to significant public discussion and causing related rumors and topics to trend repeatedly. This severely disrupted public order. The public security authorities have imposed an eight-day administrative detention on Xu, according to the release from the Ministry of Public Security's cybersecurity department.