China’s spy chief warns foreign ‘hostile forces’ may use AI to ‘fabricate political rumours’

China's Ministry of State Security head Chen Yixin has cautioned that artificial intelligence poses a threat to the nation's security, as foreign powers may misuse the technology to spread misinformation and disrupt social order. In an article published online, Chen highlighted how "hostile forces" were exploiting generative AI to create false political narratives and disseminate harmful information, directly endangering China's political, institutional, and ideological security.

This warning arrives as Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares to meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington, with AI governance and safety set to be among their topics of discussion as calls for stricter oversight of the technology increase. Notably, US tech leaders have also called for a slowdown in AI advancements, with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warning of the "reckless" pace of AI development and OpenAI's Sam Altman agreeing with Amodei's concerns.

Chen emphasized that AI has become the primary arena for global technological competition and a new dimension of major power rivalry, but did not advocate for halting technological progress. Instead, he singled out specific AI systems, such as Anthropic's Claude Mythos and OpenAI's ChatGPT-5.5-Cyber, for their advanced hacking capabilities that could jeopardize China's critical information infrastructure.

He also noted that foreign intelligence agencies are extensively utilizing AI tools like intelligent web crawlers, data mining, and profiling analysis to gather sensitive data, including national secrets and personal information. The US-Iran conflict has further underscored AI's significance in modern warfare, with superior technology providing a strategic advantage on the battlefield.

Chen stressed the importance of China maintaining independent control over key core technologies, particularly advanced computer chips essential for training AI models, to ensure its technology sovereignty.