FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday that he is “deeply concerned” about the Chinese government’s artificial intelligence program, stressing that it is “not limited by the rule of law.”
Speaking during a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wray said Beijing’s AI ambitions “are built on top of intellectual property and sensitive data that has been stolen over the years.”
He said that if left unchecked, China could use advances in artificial intelligence to further its hacking operations, theft of intellectual property and repression of domestic dissidents and more.
“This is something we are very concerned about, and I think everyone here should be concerned,” he said.
More broadly, he says, “AI is a classic example of a technology where I have the same reaction every time. I think, ‘Wow, can we do that?’ Then I thought, ‘Oh my God, he can do it.’
Those concerns have long been voiced by US officials. In October 2021, for example, US counterintelligence officials issued a warning about China’s ambitions in AI as part of a new effort to inform business executives, academics and local and state government officials about the risks of accepting Chinese investment or expertise in key industries.
Earlier that year, an AI commission chaired by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt called for the US to improve its AI skills to counter China, including pursuing “AI-enabled” weapons.
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment Thursday on Wray’s comments. Beijing has repeatedly accused Washington of fear-mongering and attacking US intelligence for its assessment of China.
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