OpenAI and Google sell AI models to blacklisted China groups
Financial Times 2026-07-10 04:00:19
Context: US-based tech companies OpenAI and Google have been selling their artificial intelligence models to subsidiaries of major Chinese tech firms, including Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent, which are based in Singapore. These Chinese companies are blacklisted by the US government, raising concerns about the potential misuse of AI technology. The sales were made possible through Singapore-based subsidiaries, allowing the US companies to circumvent restrictions on selling AI technology to blacklisted Chinese firms.
Key Facts
- OpenAI and Google have been supplying AI services to Singapore-based subsidiaries of Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent, which are effectively allowing blacklisted Chinese companies to access advanced AI models.
- The subsidiaries of Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent that received AI services from OpenAI and Google are based in Singapore, a country with a distinct regulatory environment that enables such transactions.
- The US government has blacklisted the parent companies of these subsidiaries, Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent, due to concerns about their activities and ties to the Chinese government, but the Singapore-based subsidiaries appear to have facilitated the sales of AI technology from US companies.