Access Denied: US Mulls Blocking Chinese Investment in Artificial Intelligence

Fearing the appropriation of technologies that are said to affect US national security, a federal agency in Washington is considering limiting Beijing's ability to invest in Silicon Valley companies and startups, as China seeks to modernize its military forces. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a secretive group that documents the purchase of US companies by foreign entities, is poised to strengthen its regulatory role, particularly regarding China, based on a call from US lawmakers to improve national security. New technologies, including machine learning and artificial intelligence currently in development in the high-tech Silicon Valley corridor in California are increasingly fertile ground for Chinese investment, and CFIUS wants to make sure the US isn't giving away the farm. According to the unreleased Pentagon report, which was viewed by Reuters, China seeks to use new US tech to upgrade its military, and CFIUS has been tasked with stepping up its oversight, as lawmakers demand greater security. "We're examining CFIUS to look at the long-term health and security of the US economy, given China's predatory practices," said an official with the Trump administration who was not authorized to speak publicly, according to Reuters.