Source: Taipei Times

Taipei Times reports that Chinese authorities have held meetings over the past month with major technology firms, including Alibaba, ByteDance, and the start-up Z.ai, to discuss potential restrictions on overseas access to China's most advanced artificial intelligence models. The talks, led by the Ministry of Commerce, signal Beijing's intent to treat cutting-edge AI as a critical national asset that requires control, mirroring recent actions by the United States. The discussions have covered putting limits on both closed-source and more open, customizable AI systems, although the final scope and timing of any new rules remain undecided.

During the meetings, officials also considered making the leak or theft of proprietary AI technology a punishable offense under the country's stringent national security law. Another proposal discussed was the implementation of new measures to restrict who can provide funding to domestic AI start-ups. These considerations are partly a response to US AI developments, particularly concerns that advanced American models like Anthropic's "Mythos" could be deployed against Chinese interests. The move follows other protective measures by China this year, including blocking a major foreign acquisition of a Chinese AI company and launching investigations into potential export control violations.