WeChat Tightens Curbs on AI-Generated Content After Viral Income Claim

Tencent's WeChat has stepped up its crackdown on fully AI-generated content after a viral claim that a couple earned 2 million yuan (US$275,000) a year running a public account with artificial intelligence sparked widespread debate online.

The couple were said to have used AI tools to generate articles and earn traffic-based income, according to The Paper. However, publicly available information shows that most of the reported revenue came from collecting 299-yuan deposits from users or trainees, rather than from advertising tied to the account's content.

The claim has nonetheless drawn widespread attention to the use of AI to run public accounts, while raising concerns about its potential impact on traditional content creation.

In response, WeChat said it has long encouraged human-led content and does not allow automation to replace it. Under updated guidelines, public and service accounts are prohibited from using AI, scripts, APIs or other automated tools to independently create and publish content.

The rules also ban the promotion of tutorials or services that enable automated content production. Violations may lead to penalties ranging from reduced traffic and content removal to account restrictions or suspension, depending on the severity.

WeChat said it supports the use of tools to assist creators and improve efficiency, but opposes fully automated systems that replace human authorship. It added that maintaining a healthy content ecosystem depends on both platform oversight and user responsibility.

The updated rules, introduced on March 27, define prohibited behavior as content generated, rewritten, stitched together or reposted using AI without meaningful human input, as well as bulk publishing through scripts or automated systems.

Other Chinese platforms have taken similar steps. On April 6, short drama platform Hongguo said it had removed 1,718 series that violated its rules in the first quarter, including 670 titles flagged in a targeted crackdown on improper use of AI-generated materials. The platform said it had reviewed around 15,000 works and would continue to tackle unauthorized use and copyright violations.