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In the rapid age of artificial intelligence, China has come forward with new rules for AI firms, aiming to protect young minds from online abuse and chatbots that promote self-harm and violence.

Rapid proliferation of chatbots and AI models has been the main driving force behind the planned regulations. Recently, China’s DeepSeek made headlines worldwide as it topped download charts.

Online safety net for children

The draft rules published by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) will focus on measures, aiming to ensure child online safety. The rules will oblige AI companies to offer personalized settings.

The firms would not only impose time limits on usage but also get parental consent before providing emotional companionship services.

Compulsory human-based intervention

The operators will be required to have mandatory human intervention in any chat related to self-harm and suicide. They must notify the user’s guardians in the case of such conversation.

Content moderation

Under the planned proposal, the developers will be responsible for moderate content generation. They must ensure that their model won’t generate any content that promotes gambling and violence .

Responsible use of AI

The regulations would also promote the responsible and ethical use of AI, preventing the sharing of “content that endangers national security, damages national honour and interests [or] undermines national unity.”

Once the regulatory draft is finalized, these rules will be applied to all AI services and products, marking a paradigm shift in efforts to regulate AI bots, which are under fire over safety concerns.

Earlier this week, China also issued new draft rules, aiming to regulate AI with human-like interaction.

The recent move also highlights Beijing’s effort to govern AI and strengthen consumer-oriented safety and ethical requirements.

Charlotte, N.C. — Integrated logistics company A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ditlev Blicher as the new Regional President for North America, effective Jan. 1, 2026. Blicher assumes the role after most recently serving as the company’s Regional President for Asia Pacific since 2023.

A logistics industry veteran, Blicher joined Maersk in 2020 with deep global experience in operations and general management. Prior to joining Maersk, he was APA CEO at DB Schenker. He also served as President of Asia Pacific and Europe for Freight Forwarding at UTi Worldwide and Executive Vice President – Group Operations for CEVA Logistics.

Charles van der Steene, who has served as Regional President for North America since January 2024, will become the Managing Director for Maersk’s India, Middle East and African region, where he previously served as Damco’s Regional Managing Director from 2016-2019 before the company merged with Maersk in 2019.

I’m looking forward to working with our talented team in North America to build on the progress they’ve made as we’ve evolved into a full-suite logistics provider. Our focus will be on driving sustainable growth and strengthening operational excellence to deliver a best-in-class experience for our customers.

About Maersk

A.P. Moller – Maersk is an integrated logistics company working to connect and simplify its customers’ supply chains. As a global leader in logistics services, the company operates in more than 130 countries and employs around 100,000 people. Maersk is aiming to reach net zero GHG emissions by 2040 across the entire business with new technologies, new vessels, and reduced GHG emissions fuels*.

*Maersk defines “reduced GHG emissions fuels” as fuels with at least 65% reductions in GHG emissions on a lifecycle basis compared to fossil of 94 g CO2e/MJ.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Edmonton-based country singer Patrick Masse, like millions of other Canadians, applied for relief benefits.

All the gigs he’d lined up were abruptly cancelled.

“I had really good projected earnings for that year, right? But then everything bottomed out when the world dropped,” said Masse.

From April 2020 to June 2022, Masse received more than $41,000 in government benefits — only to later get a letter from the Canada Revenue Agency saying he wasn’t eligible for the money, and that he had to pay it back.

According to the CRA, Masse did not meet the minimum net earnings of $5,000.

“I was stunned. I couldn’t believe it,” said Masse. “I would have never applied for anything that I did not qualify for.”

In early 2024, after months of back and forth, the CRA agreed he was entitled to some of the money. But he remains on the hook for about $27,000.

“I don’t have the money; I have no money. I live in poverty … I can’t afford to lose $27,000,” said Masse.

He’s far from alone. According to data the CRA provided to CBC News, about $14 billion in COVID-related benefits was given to individuals that the agency says, upon review, didn’t qualify because they didn’t meet the income requirements.

Most of that money was given under the Canadian emergency response benefit (CERB) or Canada recovery benefit (CRB), the latter a $2,000/month payment for those forced to stop working during the pandemic and couldn’t get EI.

In 2022, the CRA begin informing people that a repayment was due. Since then, it’s recouped about $4 billion. But $10 billion is still outstanding.

CRA: Pay up or face legal action

In a statement to CBC News, the CRA said it’s sensitive to the financial pressures facing Canadians but that it will take action against those trying to avoid repayment.

The agency says that could mean legal measures to recover the debt, including “offsetting refunds and future credits and garnishing wages or other sources of income.”

If you owe money to the government, there’s no statute of limitations. You can’t wait out this type of debt.– Brian Mantin, licensed insolvency trustee

Brian Mantin, a licensed insolvency trustee in Vancouver, says he sees clients every week trying to resolve their pandemic repayments. Mantin said the CRA’s approach was initially lenient but “in the last few months, I’ve seen that approach change pretty significantly.”

“So we’re certainly seeing bank account freezes, now we’re seeing garnishes [of pay] … that’s the most painful thing, because that’s when the government’s going directly to your employer and saying, ‘Hey, before the person gets their wages, take 30 per cent off the top,’” said Mantin.

Short of declaring bankruptcy, Mantin said there’s no way of getting around this debt.

“If you owe money to the government, there’s no statute of limitations,” said Mantin. “You can’t wait out this type of debt.”

Taxpayers group demands accountability

The CRA says it gave out approximately $84 billion in COVID-19 benefits to individuals during the pandemic. Franco Terrazzano with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation says that from the get-go, he worried money would go to individuals who didn’t qualify.

Terrazzano says while the government should show compassion to people who have to repay the money, when it comes to those who administered the program, heads should roll.

“I’m talking about the bureaucrats within the government who made these mistakes. Yes, they have to be held accountable,” said Terrazzano. “Look, when you make a multibillion-dollar mess-up, you should be prepared to polish off your resumé.”

Patrick Masse is adamant he was eligible for every dollar he got and plans to fight the repayment for as long as possible. He feels giving the money back would to tantamount to saying he lied on his application — something he’s not prepared to do.

“It’s so brutal. You believe in good faith that you were eligible for that money,” Masse stressed. “I will not admit that I owe this money, because I [applied] in good faith.”

Masse’s perseverance could pay off. As of Nov. 30, the CRA said it had processed about $621 million in reversals for about 55,000 individuals.