China’s government is harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to compete with the CIA, the United States spy agency. The Chinese created a artificial intelligence system that allows them to track American spies and other countries, U.S. officials told The New York Times.
The American media managed to confirm the information after interviewing more than two dozen current and former US officials. He also had access to internal Chinese corporate documents and public documents from the Ministry of State Security, China’s main intelligence agency.
Chinese spies, in pandemic meetings with their country’s technology contractors, had complained that surveillance cameras tracking foreign diplomats, military officers and intelligence agents in Beijing’s embassy district were insufficient. So, they asked these companies for an artificial intelligence program that would create instant files on anyone they were interested in.
Chinese officials proposed feeding the artificial intelligence program with several databases and dozens of cameras. The information collected would include car license plates, mobile phone data, contacts and more. The system would allow them analyze the behavior patterns of people of interest.
The Chinese government got what it asked for, the investigation of the New York Times. The development would allow for selecting targets and identifying networks and vulnerabilities, according to internal meeting memos.
China spying targets trade and technology secrets
China’s Ministry of State Security has stepped up its rgathering intelligence on American companies that develop technology, both military and civilian. The agency has been improved thanks to better training and a larger budget. China’s economic rise and industrial policies have been decisive for the inclusion of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Thus, from basing their missions on gossip recorded at embassy dinners, Chinese spies are now competing “head-to-head” with the CIA around the world, he says. The New York Times. “They challenge American spymasters in a way the Soviets could not”says the report.
The Ministry of State Security usually recruits directly from universities, especially for entry-level positions, according to a review by the US media of more than 30 online job advertisements from the agency. In recent years, he has sought out technology experts, including hackers.
“For China in particular, exploiting existing technology or trade secrets of others has become a popular government-encouraged shortcut,” said Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a research institute based in Washington. “The urgency and intensity of technological espionage has increased significantly.”
The CIA’s reaction
The CIA, unlike several years ago, is investing resources in collecting data on Chinese companies developing artificial intelligence. Also about quantum computing and other similar technologies. The agency’s spending on spying on China has doubled since the start of President Joe Biden’s administration.
The United States has collected economic intelligence for a long time, but never like now, highlights The New York Times. Information about China’s development of emerging technologies is now considered as important as guessing its conventional military power or the machinations of its leaders.
The CIA has launched a mission center in China and a technological intelligence center. “We’ve been counting tanks and understanding missile capability for longer than we’ve been focused on semiconductor capability, artificial intelligence algorithms or biotech equipment,” David Cohen, the agency’s deputy director, said in an interview. .
The US spy agency has begun asking US executives and academics for information about what Chinese companies are trying to develop. American universities and companies are a great source of information, American officials said. Chinese investors and researchers also often resort to them.