Chinese Hackers Targeting U.S. AI Companies

Christopher Wray, director of the U.S. FBI. AFP-Yonhap News

The director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced that foreign cybercriminals, including that those from China, are targeting American artificial intelligence (AI) companies.

On the 9th (local time), FBI Director Christopher Wray stated during a CNBC conference, “Among the world’s 20 most successful AI companies, 18 are American,” adding that “China is targeting them for innovative intellectual property theft.” Wray, who attended a virtual roundtable meeting with Paul Nakasone, the commander of the U.S. Cyber Command under the Department of Defense, described generative AI as an “amplifier that makes criminals’ attacks more sophisticated and harmful.” He explained that “obtaining generative AI technology in the world of cyberattacks is like bringing a junior representative player to the national team.”

Nakasone, who is also the director of the National Security Agency (NSA) emphasized on the same day that “it is important to protect intellectual property as America’s enemies are using AI capabilities developed by American companies.”

The FBI and the U.S. Cyber Command under the Department of Defense are organizations focused on crime in cyberspace, closely cooperating on various operations related to countries hostile to the U.S., including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

In September last year, the NSA also established a new organization called the AI Security Center to supervise the development and integration of AI capabilities within the U.S. national security system.