China accuses US of ‘AI hegemonism’, threatens countermeasures over potential probes

China’s commerce ministry on Monday accused the United States of “AI hegemonism” and threatened countermeasures after senior US officials said Chinese AI companies could face investigations, sanctions and trade restrictions over the alleged theft of US technology.

The ​ministry said Washington was threatening Chinese companies with punishment based on allegations they used “distillation” to copy advanced US AI models, despite what it called a lack of factual or legal grounds.