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Source: Newsmaker.id
The United States government has accused several Chinese artificial intelligence companies of aggressively copying AI technologies developed by U.S. firms. The latest allegations could reignite technology tensions between Washington and Beijing ahead of a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month.
U.S. security and law enforcement officials said Chinese AI companies have been using a technique known as distillation, in which smaller AI models are trained using outputs generated by larger and more expensive models. The method allows companies to develop new models more quickly while reducing development costs.
Companies named in the U.S. report include DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, Alibaba, MiniMax, and StepFun. Washington alleged that the firms used variants of American-made AI models to accelerate their own product development, targeting technologies from companies including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and SpaceX.
U.S. officials described the activity as aggressive, coordinated, and conducted on an industrial scale, potentially with the knowledge of the Chinese government. Washington also warned that such practices could do more than lower research costs for Chinese companies, potentially strengthening Beijing’s capabilities in military applications and cyber operations.
The allegations come at a sensitive time for relations between the world’s two largest economies. The Trump administration is preparing for Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States in late September, while Washington and Beijing are also expected to discuss AI security risks in talks scheduled for the middle of the month. The Chinese Embassy in Washington has not yet issued an immediate response to the latest allegations.
The development could renew investor concerns over an escalation in the U.S.-China technology rivalry. If the accusations lead to tighter restrictions on Chinese companies’ access to advanced AI models, high-end chips, or U.S. technology, pressure could increase on Chinese technology stocks and the semiconductor sector. Heightened tensions ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting could also boost demand for defensive assets if investors begin pricing in a broader technology conflict.
The renewed tensions could provide support for both the U.S. dollar and gold if the dispute between Washington and Beijing escalates further. The dollar may attract safe-haven demand as investors reduce exposure to riskier assets, while gold could also benefit from increased hedging demand against geopolitical and trade uncertainty. However, if the escalation reinforces inflation concerns or expectations that U.S. interest rates will remain high, gold’s upside could be more limited than that of the dollar.