The 2024 Forum of China Digital Economy Development and Rule of Law was held in Beijing on June 1. President of the Beijing Internet Court (BIC) Jiang Ying attended the event upon invitation and delivered a keynote speech themed on judicial challenges and responses in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

In her speech, Jiang gave an overview of the main causes and characteristics of cases involving AI technology, problems found in case trials, and the adjudication philosophy of such cases. As AI technology has made significant progress, the governance of the AI industry has also become a common concern of the international community, she said. She stated that new types of cases involving AI technology are increasing year by year, mainly in such areas as intellectual property (IP) infringement and online infringement liability. IP-related cases often involve such issues as the copyrightability of AI-generated works and the determination of copyright infringement in large-scale AI model training, according to Jiang. Online infringement liability cases often involve the protection of civil rights and interests, such as personality rights and personal information rights, she said. The BIC will always adhere to the adjudication philosophy of "establishing rules by adjudication for better governance and development," actively explore judicial rules in emerging technologies, business models and fields, and better fulfill the functional role of the BIC as a specialized court, she added.

Jointly organized by the China Reform Foundation, the China Legal Exchange Foundation, and the Science and Law Research Center of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the forum saw the participation of experts and scholars from the fields of economics, law, and technology. The forum also released ten events of major impact in China's digital economy development and rule of law in 2024, where the BIC's case involving AI-generated image, China's first copyright infringement case on AI-generated image, was included.