Biden Administration Targets AI Tech Distribution to China

The Joe Biden administration is expected to announce regulations as soon as Friday that will limit the global distribution of artificial intelligence technology, with a specific focus on China. This move has sparked concern within the tech industry. The administration is wary of AI's potential to advance China's military capabilities. While AI chips can be used in consumer products like phones, they can also be used in military applications such as drones. "Semiconductors will be central to future warfighting capabilities, " noted Scott Jones, a senior nonresident fellow at the Stimson Center. This concern is a key driver behind the Biden administration’s efforts to restrict the proliferation of AI chips and chipmaking technologies. According to Gregory Allen from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, these new measures categorize countries into distinct groups. Some U. S. allies will have unrestricted access to AI chips, while other countries, including China, will be entirely restricted from obtaining them. "There’s also a group of countries with limited access, subject to specific conditions and limitations on the amount of AI chips they can purchase, " Allen explained.

These rules represent a more aggressive attempt to control AI technology access than previous measures. "It began with China, but now the U. S. is looking to regulate the global distribution of these chips, " added Peter Lichtenbaum, a partner at Covington & Burling law firm. Some tech companies, like those represented by Jason Oxman, president of the Information Technology Industry Council (which includes Apple, Intel, and Amazon), are not pleased with the anticipated regulations. "It's a really bad idea, " Oxman remarked. "We're discussing not only limiting access to concerning nations but also restricting our global allies, " Oxman warned, suggesting this could push these allies to seek alternatives and weaken U. S. industrial leadership. Gregory Allen from CSIS highlighted that the administration’s efforts have already slowed China’s AI development. "China is looking pretty stuck, " he stated. However, China might retaliate with its own export controls and sanctions against the U. S.