- Chinese authorities consider stricter export controls on AI models and chips to protect national interests
- Discussions involve Chinese Ministry of Commerce and domestic AI firms like Alibaba and ByteDance
- Regulators aim to prevent transfer of key AI training information and model weights abroad
Chinese authorities are mulling more stringent export controls regarding AI models and chips, according to a report from The Financial Times on Tuesday.
This is likely a move from the country to deem advanced AI a key asset that is important to its national interests, seeking to keep access to its AI on a domestic level.
The report stated that regulators, along with the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, spoke with domestic AI companies and chipmakers on ways to prevent the country's advanced tech and eminent startups from being acquired by the west.
The Commerce Ministry reportedly held discussions with major AI firms such as Alibaba, ByteDance and Zhipu on setting on curbing the transfer of important information required for the training of AI models outside China. They also held similar dialogue on permitting the download of their model weights by users in foreign countries.
This development comes after reports of Chinese government officials holding talks with tech giants from the country over restricting overseas access to its advanced AI models, which also covered those that had not yet been rolled out.
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The measures might likely be included in the upcoming revision of China's catalogue of technologies that is restricts and/or bans from exporting. The report stated that the proposal is currently being deliberated upon with regulators taking a look at what the industry had to say before making a final decision.
The country may also enforce restrictions on foreign acquisition of strategic technology such as agentic AI.
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