Beijing shifts focus to AI security risks after hacking warnings

China’s government is reassessing artificial intelligence safety after top officials warned of potential national security threats from AI hacking capabilities. The spy agency chief’s recent warning follows revelations that AI models could be weaponized to compromise millions of accounts on platforms like WeChat.

• ▪Chinese spy agency chief warned this week that AI technology poses national security risks, marking a shift from Beijing’s prior focus on deepfakes and child safety.
• ▪Researchers in California demonstrated an AI-powered cyberattack ‘worm’ capable of compromising millions of WeChat accounts, exposing vulnerabilities in major platforms.
• ▪China regulates AI use more actively than previously understood, including bans on creating AI-generated avatars of people without consent.
• ▪Beijing views AI as a manageable general-purpose technology similar to electricity or automobiles, not an existential threat, according to policy experts.
• ▪President Xi Jinping and Donald Trump are expected to discuss AI threats during in-person talks, despite fierce competition in the technology sector.
• ▪China fears Western countries may weaponize ‘security’ concerns to restrict its technological development and competitive advantage.
• ▪Self-improving autonomous AI systems operating without human oversight rank among the Chinese government’s highest cybersecurity concerns.
• ▪Public opinion in Shanghai shows broad support for tight AI regulation, with citizens viewing recent security incidents as ‘warning shots’ driving policy changes.
• ▪Both China and the US recognize shared AI safety risks but face barriers to cooperation due to competitive pressures and conflicting strategic interests.
• ▪Recent high-profile AI capability breakthroughs and automation advances have accelerated the technology’s rise as a priority for Beijing’s policymakers.

Source: according to media reports