Man sentenced for using AI to steal computing power in Shanghai

A Shanghai court has sentenced a man in the city's first case of using AI to forge signatures and steal AI computing power. He got three years in prison, suspended for three years, plus a 40,000 yuan fine.

He built a proxy website selling cheap AI image and video services. The site actually ran on paid computing power from an AI company's model platform, and every use cost the company real money.

To get past security, he used AI to create nearly 300,000 free accounts, beat IP limits, and forged e-signatures after the platform added new checks. He made over 34,000 yuan from more than 290,000 illegal calls before being caught.