China now requires people working in AI at private firms to secure travel approval before leaving the country. According to Bloomberg, the restrictions apply to individuals working in state-owned firms, startup founders, and those employed by private companies, as the central government considers them important strategic assets. China has already been limiting international travel for key individuals such as senior researchers at public educational institutions, nuclear scientists, and even top executives of government-owned companies, but extending the restriction to private firms and individuals is an uncommon move, even for Beijing.
There’s no official guidance yet on which roles, expertise, or seniority will be included in the travel ban. However, Bloomberg sources say that the individuals added to the list were assessed based on their impact on China’s AI ambitions, not just where they work or their position within their company. This move is an expansion of a former government directive wherein some AI engineers had mandatory reporting of any overseas travel plan, although they were still free to go abroad as needed.
This shows that Beijing considers AI as a strategic advantage and that the people leading the industry are considered crucial for the country’s advancement. This news comes months after Meta’s surprise purchase of Manus AI, which China wants to unwind to prevent the U.S. from acquiring Chinese AI talent and intellectual property. Although the two aren’t directly related, the report says that the new policy is designed to protect against the leaking of key technologies, such as the one being developed by the Chinese startup that moved to Singapore.
Some American AI tech companies are spending billions of dollars to acquire talent. For example, aside from the $2.5-billion Manus deal, Meta has been offering $100 million bonuses and even bigger salaries to hire experts from other companies, with one founder claiming that the social media giant offered them $1.25 billion for over four years. The massive amounts of money involved in AI are quite tempting; that’s why Beijing is taking steps to protect its own interests. However, this might have the effect of discouraging Chinese talent based abroad from going home and reestablishing their careers in the country. It could also force domestic AI engineers with dreams of going abroad to leave earlier, while they’re still not included in the travel restrictions list, and develop their skills in a foreign country instead of at home.
Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.