Chris Fall, director of the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI), has resigned after three months, following previous quick departures. His exit comes amidst ongoing debates over AI regulation, US-China tech competition, and questions about CAISI's role in federal AI oversight.
The World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai highlights China's drive for technological self-reliance amid US chip restrictions. Beijing rejects 'trap' claims regarding its open-source AI promotion, aiming to foster global exchanges and ensure AI benefits reach developing nations.
Alibaba vice-president Qi Xiaoning stated that global tech firms, including those from the US, China, India, Brazil, and Europe, are collaborating on the open-standard RISC-V chip architecture despite US-China tech rivalry. He emphasized that this cooperation fosters friendship and trade.
Anthropic accused Chinese firm Alibaba of its largest AI cloning attack on Claude, involving 28.8 million exchanges through fraudulent accounts despite US warnings. The AI company urged Congress to pass legislation for stronger export controls and penalties to protect US AI leadership against "industrial-scale" theft, amidst escalating US-China tech rivalry.
The US has reportedly delayed adding Chinese AI startup DeepSeek to a trade blacklist, despite approval last year. DeepSeek's low-cost AI model and alleged support for military operations raised concerns among US officials and AI companies.
US President Donald Trump arrives in Beijing for historic talks with President Xi Jinping, amid global tensions over the US-Israel war on Iran, rising energy costs, and escalating US-China tech rivalry.
Goldman Sachs has barred its bankers in Hong Kong from using Anthropic's Claude AI models, following consultations with Anthropic and adopting a strict interpretation of its contract. The restriction does not extend to other AI vendors like OpenAI. Western AI models are banned in mainland China under the Great Firewall, while Hong Kong has generally operated outside those restrictions. US AI firms are concerned about 'distillation' - the risk that intensive use in China could help local actors train competing systems. The move could pose challenges for Hong Kong's role as a financial hub as bankers may fall behind peers elsewhere.
Goldman Sachs has prohibited its Hong Kong bankers from using Anthropic's Claude AI models, citing contract interpretations amid US-China tech tensions. This move, impacting coding and financial modeling, raises concerns for Hong Kong's financial hub status and other institutions using the AI. The restriction highlights broader worries about AI intellectual property theft and cybersecurity risks.
China has formally ordered Meta to unwind its $2 billion acquisition of AI company Manus, citing national security concerns. The deal, completed in December 2025, had been under review since January 2026. This marks a significant escalation in US-China AI rivalry and signals increased difficulty for cross-border tech deals. Manus founders had relocated most of their team to Singapore and established offshore entities to distance from China, but the Chinese government's decision creates uncertainty for both companies' AI ambitions.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed 20 new export control measures, including the Match Act, to restrict Chinese access to US technology and bar Chinese chipmakers from advanced semiconductor equipment. The measures represent the largest significant export control markup in Congress history, requiring allies like Japan and the Netherlands to align with US restrictions on selling advanced semiconductor equipment to China.
