China Rapidly Developing Artificial Intelligence, Officials Warn

Officials at the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) warned on Friday that China's pursuit of artificial intelligence (AI) technology could have major implications for the future of the military and economic competition between the two nations. Among other topics, the warnings restated the U.S. warning against private companies in key areas allowing Chinese investment or expertise, urging them to take significant precautions in protecting their intellectual property. Under the Trump and Biden administrations, relations between Washington and Beijing have steadily become more acrimonious, with increasing consensus from America's national security agencies that China represents a strategic threat to the United States. Although Biden has made statements advising against the creation of a "new Cold War" with China, and advocated in favor of working together on mutual concerns such as climate change, relations have still remained tense--particularly since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, when the United States reproached China over for its failure to share certain information about the virus's origins. For its part, Beijing has accused Washington of acting in bad faith.