Top US General Warns China Will Try to Steal Google's AI, Other Advanced Tech
Concerned with the possibility that the Chinese government could swipe American intellectual property through its dealings with Google and use it to advanced its military, US Joint Chiefs Chairman General Joseph Dunford said Thursday that he will be addressing the matter at a meeting with executives from the tech company next week.
Speaking at an Atlantic Council event in Washington, DC, Dunford said US tech companies must understand that when they do business with China, there's always a chance that their know-how — particularly their artificial intelligence software — could make its way to the Chinese military.
"[Chinese companies] are automatically required to have a cell of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in that company, and that it's going to lead to that intellectual property from that company finding its way to the Chinese military," Dunford said. "There's a distinction without a difference between the CCP and the government and the Chinese military."
"This is not about me and Google; this about us looking at the second- and third-order effects of our business ventures in China [and] the impact it's going to have on US ability to maintain a competitive military advantage and all that goes with it," Dunford stressed.
He later indicated that his focus was on Google "because they have an artificial intelligence venture in China," adding if precautions were not taken, it could "enable the Chinese military to take advantage of the technology developed in the United States."
Dunford's remarks come just days after he told a Senate hearing last week that Google was "indirectly benefiting the Chinese military" through its business ties with the country. The tech giant has also been criticized by US President Donald Trump, who tweeted March 16 that "Google is helping China and their military."