USA’s Venezuela takeover comes with bonus exposure to Chinese AI surveillance tech
Think tank points out that companies banned by Washington will help run the regime that Uncle Sam now controls
A recent report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) warns of the risks associated with Venezuela's potential adoption of Chinese AI surveillance systems. ASPI asserts that Venezuela is set to become one of the first nations outside China to implement China's latest generation of large language model (LLM) based AI systems for surveillance and control.
This is primarily due to an agreement reached in 2025, led by then-Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez, to adopt Chinese-built AI systems to enhance existing state-sponsored surveillance.
The report specifically highlights the involvement of iFlytek, a Chinese company that was banned by the United States in 2019 for its role in aiding Beijing's repression of the Uyghur Muslim population in China's Xinjiang region. ASPI notes that while the US may not believe Venezuela can replicate "China's full-stack surveillance apparatus," there are concerns that "Chinese or other AI tools could strengthen a domestically directed apparatus already used to manage dissent, restrict information, and preserve political power."
This situation leaves Venezuelans in a worse position than they were before the US replaced former President Nicholas Maduro. ASPI argues that the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, should take action to dismantle the surveillance apparatus and promote political change in Venezuela. The think tank believes this move would send a clear message that democracies are committed to combating China's attempts to export its surveillance technology and dismantle it when feasible in the name of civil liberties.
Beijing, according to the report, is aware of this opportunity and the risks it poses to Chinese companies and China's political influence in Venezuela. Beijing's strategy appears to include strengthening oversight of state-owned assets abroad to help mitigate potential risks and manage the situation. However, the report does not address whether Venezuela's increased adoption of Chinese surveillance would heighten the risks faced by the USA in its efforts to control the South American country.
Written by urgent.news from The Register Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
