AI-generated evidence with watermark submitted in Chinese rental dispute
A plaintiff submitted AI-generated photographs with a visible watermark as evidence in a rental dispute case in a Chinese court. The court detected the AI generation tool's watermark, identified contradictions in the plaintiff's testimony, and found that fabricated evidence had been intentionally submitted. The plaintiff admitted the falsification and was formally admonished by the court.
What happened
In December 2025, during a housing rental contract dispute case in Hubei province's Dawu Court, the plaintiff submitted photographs as evidence showing unpaid utility bills that contained a "Doubao AI generated" watermark in the lower right corner.
The defendant's advocate, Dong, had initially claimed the utility meter was used exclusively by the tenant and promised to provide photos of the meter before and after the rental period. When the court examined the photos further, judges discovered contradictions: Dong first stated the utility meter was for single use, then admitted the building was "one staircase, two households" sharing a single meter.
Reported impact
The court identified that the AI-generated photos constituted fabricated important evidence and obstructed the litigation process.
Governance controls
The court issued a formal admonishment to Dong for using AI-generated photographs as legal evidence, explaining that such conduct violates the Civil Procedure Law and related judicial interpretations, and can result in admonishment, fines, detention, or potentially criminal liability.
Because Dong voluntarily confessed and corrected her error by providing authentic photographs, the court applied the principle of "combining punishment with education" and processed the matter as an admonishment. The fabricated evidence was rejected and the case was to be decided based on authentic evidence and verified facts.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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