China Sought Access to Anthropic’s Newest A.I. The Answer Was No.
The latest artificial intelligence models from Anthropic and OpenAI are extending the United States’ lead over China and intensifying the rivalry between the countries.
The latest artificial intelligence models from Anthropic and OpenAI are extending the United States’ lead over China and intensifying the rivalry between the countries.
A representative from a Chinese think tank approached officials from Anthropic at a meeting in Singapore last month to insist that the company change its stance and give Beijing access to its powerful new artificial intelligence model, according to people briefed on the discussions.
Anthropic refused.
The request was not an official demand from the Chinese government. But the talks in Singapore were a form of exchange that is often meant to pave the way for formal, direct diplomacy.
When officials from the National Security Council at the White House learned about the exchange at the meeting, which was convened by the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, they reacted with alarm. Some Trump administration officials saw it as another sign that Beijing would try every possible avenue to swiftly acquire the most powerful artificial intelligence model a U.S. company has produced so far, according to people briefed on the discussions.
However subtle, the outreach is a sign of the intensifying competition between China and the United States over artificial intelligence, which a growing number of national security officials and analysts have begun to liken to the Cold War’s nuclear arms race. Chinese analysts see the release of the latest models from Anthropic and ChatGPT as a significant advance in American technology, one that could pose a threat to China.
The escalating rivalry is an important backdrop to the summit this week between the United States and China. President Trump is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Wednesday, for meetings with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping. While the race to develop the most effective model is unlikely to be discussed, the two sides could talk about access to the chips that power artificial intelligence or guardrails around its use.
Previewing the summit Sunday during a call with reporters, a senior U.S. official said A.I. and cybersecurity were high on the agenda with Beijing, noting concerns with “the latest models of A.I.” The official said the United States and China were exploring how to establish better communication over artificial intelligence, creating a “deconfliction” channel in which experts from each country could address the risks of artificial intelligence.
