Unraveling Public Conspiracy Theories Toward ChatGPT in China: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Weibo Posts

ABSTRACTThe inaccessibility of ChatGPT to Chinese users has fueled public conspiracy theories surrounding the technology. We conducted a critical discourse analysis of 1,576 relevant Weibo posts to identify these conspiracy theories and the sociocultural and political factors at play. Our findings reveal four major themes, including a profound distrust of foreign high technology, nationalist fervor, disconcerting allegations of AI development, and sensational assertions of government manipulation of the fertility rate. More importantly, we observe that the escalation of nationalist sentiments in the online sphere exacerbates the spread of conspiracy theories, reflecting public concerns about the country’s technological progress and global reputation. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationNotes on contributorsWenxue ZouWenxue Zou (Ph.D., Texas A&M University) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication, Media, and Culture at Coastal Carolina University. She studies misinformation, culture, and social media from various approaches.Zikun LiuZikun Liu (M.A., Wuhan University) is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University. Her research focuses on political communication and cultural sociology.