US Accuses Chinese AI Firms of Massive Data Theft from American Models

US Levels Serious Allegations Against Chinese AI Companies for Data Theft

According to НВ — Техно: On September 10, 2024, the United States formally accused several Chinese artificial intelligence firms of orchestrating a large-scale data theft operation. According to reports from the National Security Agency (NSA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the FBI, companies including DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, Alibaba, MiniMax, StepFun, and Z.AI are suspected of extracting billions of data fragments from US AI models to train their own systems.

US authorities claim these firms accessed data through millions of queries directed at AI models developed by Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and xAI since late 2024. The technique known as distillation, used in AI development to transfer knowledge from larger models to smaller ones, is at the center of this controversy. However, Anthropic warns that AI models created through unauthorized distillation may lack critical safeguards, potentially posing national security risks.

OpenAI's Response and Upcoming US-China AI Security Talks

In 2023, OpenAI had already accused DeepSeek of illicitly acquiring data. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman commented on the issue in July 2024:

“I wouldn’t want other companies to use distillation on OpenAI’s models, but it’s not among the top ten problems keeping me up at night.” – Sam Altman

These allegations come just before scheduled discussions between the US and China on AI security, set for September 2024. Given the gravity of the accusations, concerns about data security and AI ethics are rapidly gaining prominence.

This situation highlights the intensifying technological rivalry between the US and China, especially in the AI sector. The upcoming negotiations may prove crucial for establishing global standards and regulations governing AI technology use and data protection. As AI advances at a rapid pace and security threats increase, ethical and legal considerations in AI development are becoming critically important for both nations.