China has issued ethical guidelines for autonomous driving technology, including bans on false information in research results, according to Reuters. 

The nation’s Ministry of Science and Technology published the guidelines, which state that algorithms and models related to autonomous driving technology should be made accessible, the article says. It adds that data collection in the development and application of the technology should be limited to the scope required to achieve driving functions. 

Reuters also reports that the guidelines specify whether the driver or the driving system is liable when driving, based on how advanced the system is. 

It was previously reported by Reuters that carmaker Dongfeng Motor and tech company Huawei were involved in drafting the requirements. 

Earlier in the summer, China banned automakers from using the terms “autonomous driving” and “smart driving” in advertisements. 

It comes after a fatal crash involving Xiaomi’s SU7 sedan that has triggered safety concerns, Reuters says. 

“Preliminary findings showed the Xiaomi car caught fire after hitting a cement roadside pole at a speed of 97 kph (60 mph), seconds after its driver took over control from the advanced driving assistance system (ADAS),” Reuters says. 

Forbes reports that while the cause of the crash is unclear, Chinese regulators’ reaction is that drivers need to know what their car can actually do. It notes that the UK government’s 2024 Automated Vehicles Act made it an offense to use misleading language in marketing such technologies. 

“Generally, when it comes to driverless technologies, many academics and regulators turn to the ‘levels’ laid out by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) — but ‘partial level 2 driverless’ doesn’t exactly make for compelling marketing,” Forbes says. “Consider Chinese carmaker BYD: it calls its ADAS ‘God’s Eye.”’

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