(NewsNation) — Chinese spies are trying to use artificial intelligence to rival the CIA, The New York Times reported, a revelation that’s not shocking to one former U.S. official.
In an article based on interviews with more than two dozen current and former American officials and a review of internal and public documents, the Times wrote that agents in China’s main intelligence agency have an AI system tracking American spies and others.
Spies asked for a program that could create instant dossiers on every person of interest in the area and analyze their behavior patterns, the newspaper said. Agents proposed feeding the AI program information including car license plates, cellphone data, contacts and more.
Such AI-generated profiles could help the Chinese spies choose targets and pinpoint their networks and vulnerabilities.
The Ministry of State Security, the agency deploying this technology, has been trying to build itself up through wider recruitment, better training and a bigger budget to match U.S. intelligence capabilities.
Former National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot said in an interview with NewsNation’s Nichole Berlie that the U.S. is China’s “No. 1 target” for competing for power.
“The U.S. and China are the two kings really when it comes to AI development,” he said on “NewsNation Now.”
Since China already has a lot of data it needs, the AI allows officials to comb through and make sense of it.
“It’s no surprise that China is using its capabilities on the AI front to go after our secrets, number one, but also to spy on vast data that they’ve been able to collect, whether it’s through TikTok or other platforms, on ordinary Americans,” Ullyot said.