FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed concern about China’s artificial intelligence program during a panel session at the World Economic Forum, stating that it is “not constrained by the rule of law” and built on stolen intellectual property and data.

“The Chinese government has a bigger hacking program than any other nation in the world,” Wray said. “And their AI program is not constrained by the rule of law and is built on top of massive troves of intellectual property and sensitive data that they’ve stolen over the years and will be used, unless checked, to advance that same hacking program — to advance that same intellectual property — to advance the repression that occurs not just back home in mainland China but increasingly as a product that they export around the world.” (ABC News)

He warned that if left unchecked, China could use AI to further its hacking, intellectual property theft, and repression of dissidents.

These concerns have been previously expressed by US officials and an AI commission led by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt urged the US to boost its AI capabilities to counter China.

Said Wray: “AI is a classic example of a technology where I have the same reaction every time. I think, ‘Wow, we can do that?’ And then I think, ‘Oh god, they can do that.’”

No comment was immediately given by the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

Separately, Wray also recalled how the FBI observed an increase in cyberattacks from Russia at the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine last year.

“We did see, as the conflict erupted and increased, effort by the Russian intelligence services — which have been conducting malicious cyberactivity against U.S. infrastructure for years,” he said.

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