China’s AI Expansion and Its Global Implications
A recent report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) highlights how China is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) not only for domestic control but also for global influence. The report, titled “The party’s AI: How China’s new AI systems are reshaping human rights,” reveals that China’s approach to AI differs significantly from that of the United States and Europe.
In many Western countries, AI safety is primarily concerned with ensuring the technology is fair and secure. However, in China, AI safety is defined as ensuring that AI supports “core socialist values” and maintains political stability. This distinction underscores a fundamentally different purpose for AI in the country.
Censorship and AI
One of the primary ways China uses AI is for censorship. ASPI tested four Chinese AI models—Baidu’s Ernie Bot, Alibaba’s Qwen, Zhipu AI’s GLM, and DeepSeek’s VL2—using images related to sensitive topics such as the 2019 Hong Kong protests, the Tiananmen Square protests, and Falun Gong demonstrations. The results showed that these models exhibited stronger censorship behaviors than their U.S.-developed counterparts.
The most direct form of censorship was an outright refusal to respond to sensitive prompts. This was particularly evident in models accessed through inference providers based in Singapore rather than the U.S., where sensitive prompts often triggered error messages or blank outputs.
AI in Online Censorship
China has made it clear that its publishers and web giants should use AI to filter content on their platforms. As a result, AI now plays a significant role in online censorship, scanning vast volumes of digital content, flagging potential violations, and deleting banned material within seconds.
Companies like Tencent, Baidu, and ByteDance have developed AI tools to assist with this task, effectively becoming part of an AI-powered censorship apparatus. While AI is crucial, it still requires human oversight, as it cannot fully interpret satire, keep up with evolving idioms, or understand all minority languages.
AI in the Justice System
ASPI also notes that AI has become pervasive in China’s justice system, making it less accessible and fair. A criminal suspect may be identified and arrested with the aid of the world’s largest AI-powered surveillance network. Courts use AI to draft indictments and recommend sentences, while prisons use AI-enabled surveillance systems to monitor inmates’ emotions, facial expressions, and movements.
This integration of AI enhances efficiency but reduces transparency and accountability, further enabling state repression.
Cultural Erasure and Minority Languages
China’s use of AI extends beyond censorship and justice. The report mentions that AI trained on practices like the collective punishment and cultural erasure of Uyghurs and Tibetans could replicate those policies. Additionally, China ensures its AIs understand minority languages like Uyghur, Tibetan, Mongolian, and Korean to make its surveillance and censorship tools more effective.
AI in Fishing Industry
ASPI also highlights how China is using AI to impact people beyond its borders, particularly in the fishing industry. The Chinese government supports a national fishing industry that routinely violates the economic rights of citizens in at least 80 countries. AI-powered intelligent fishing platforms are now being used to enhance China’s fishing capabilities, further depleting fish stocks and harming local communities.
One such platform, “AoXin 1.0,” uses deep learning to predict squid fishing grounds. It has helped identify four new fishing areas and improved catch rates by 15 to 20 percent. The system is deployed on board ships using Huawei Ascend AI chips.
Global Influence and Governance
ASPI believes China has found willing buyers for its AI-enabled technology in autocracies and weak democracies in the global South. Beijing is also trying to set global norms for AI by participating in governance and standards bodies.
The report urges other nations to work together to prevent China’s AI models, governance norms, and industrial policies from shaping global technology ecosystems and entrenching digital authoritarianism.
