This was Chinese propaganda, perfectly timed around International Workers’ Day on 1 May. It wasn’t a law, though, but a court ruling that spread across media back then, although it has been widely misinterpreted.

The Chinese court ruling doesn’t change that trend [of automation moving from blue-collar to white-collar industries], Moshe Lander, an economics professor at the Canadian Concordia University said at the time:

Indeed, the Chinese ruling doesn’t forbid companies from using AI to automate certain roles held by humans […] Workers, the ruling says, “should also understand the strategic development needs of enterprises, continuously update and improve their professional skills through continuous learning, proactively adapt to the changes in artificial intelligence technology, promote the efficient application of AI technology in production practices, and foster a win-win situation of personal career growth and efficient enterprise development.”

Lander said the ruling, which was issued ahead of China’s Labour Day on May 1, was likely a messaging and “self-preservation” exercise for the ruling Chinese Communist Party given the potential widespread impact of AI-led labour disruptions.

“There’s so many potential people that could be caught up in this that the risk of civil unrest, the risk of regime overthrow, is probably much more paramount to them than concern for the actual worker itself,” he said.

[Edit typo.]