How China Is Accused of Replicating U.S. AI Models at Scale

The White House has raised concerns over what it describes as “industrial-scale” efforts by China-linked entities to replicate advanced artificial intelligence models developed by U.S. companies.

According to a memo from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, these campaigns involve the use of tens of thousands of surrogate accounts and sophisticated tools designed to extract proprietary information without detection.

At the center of the issue is a process known as “distillation,” a widely used AI training method that transfers knowledge from larger models to smaller ones.

While common in the industry, U.S. officials and companies have warned that it can also be used to replicate the capabilities of leading AI systems without authorization.

Some firms have previously flagged similar activity, saying their models’ performance was being mimicked. Concerns have also been raised about security implications, with officials warning that replicated systems may lack the safeguards embedded in original models.

The accusations come amid intensifying competition between the United States and China in the development of advanced AI technologies.

The U.S. government says it is exploring measures to address such activities, including closer coordination with private companies and potential actions targeting foreign actors.