US government website used AI search tool from China that FBI said copied Anthropic
AI experts said the use of the Chinese AI tool on the Federal Register’s website may not have posed national security risks. But it raised questions whether the federal government was contradicting its own messages about Chinese AI models
A US government website, the Federal Register, ran an AI search tool powered by Alibaba's Qwen model, despite the FBI accusing Alibaba of maliciously copying US rival Anthropic's technology. The search tool was available on the website along with other options, but it was later taken down. The FBI's accusation of Alibaba's copying came amid heightened tensions between the US and China, leading up to a meeting between their leaders.
US officials had previously accused Chinese AI companies of engaging in malicious copying of US technology on an "industrial scale". The Chinese embassy in Washington dismissed the allegations as unfounded. The use of Qwen on the Federal Register website came at a time when there was a global debate on AI safety and whether the US needed regulatory safeguards for AI.
While AI experts suggested the use of the Chinese tool might not pose significant national security risks, it raised questions about the federal government's stance on Chinese AI models.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu - Sci-Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
