Chinese authorities have held meetings with top tech firms over the past month about potentially restricting overseas access to China's most advanced AI models, including those yet to be released, three people familiar with the discussions said.
The talks follow a number of steps by Beijing to keep homegrown AI within the country and underscore how China, like the US, is now treating cutting-edge artificial intelligence as a critical national asset that needs controls.
Companies present at the talks included tech giants Alibaba and ByteDance as well as startup Z.ai, according to people not authorised to speak to media and who declined to be identified.
