US Gov't Scraps Chinese AI on Federal Register

US government officials recently removed a Chinese AI search tool from the Federal Register website. This action followed public notice of the National Archives using an Alibaba Qwen AI model.

The FBI had earlier identified six Chinese firms, including Alibaba, for allegedly aiding US AI development through illicit means. The deployment of the Qwen model on the Federal Register, which allows public searching of comments on regulations, occurred for at least one day before its removal on Wednesday.

Experts noted the contradiction of a US agency using a Chinese AI model while the FBI cautioned against them. However, concerns about security risks were downplayed, as the Federal Register's content is already public. The specific model used was an open-source, smaller version of Qwen, not intended for complex reasoning or transmitting sensitive data.

This incident highlights a growing debate in the US regarding AI safety and potential reliance on foreign technology. While some lawmakers advocate for a strict ban on Chinese AI models for federal entities, others caution against hindering access to open-source tools that could impact US competitiveness.