China's top security official warns AI could destabilize politics and critical systems

Chen Yixin, China's state security minister, published a detailed warning in the China Cyberspace magazine about the dangers of artificial intelligence when used by hostile forces. He argued that AI could directly threaten the country's political, institutional and ideological security by facilitating deepfake propaganda, bot-driven opinion wars and the creation of malware that exploits system vulnerabilities. The article also warned that AI-driven data mining could enhance foreign intelligence agencies' ability to steal state data, trade secrets and personal information.

Chen further noted that nations leading in AI might invoke national-security arguments to dominate standards and build closed ecosystems, echoing President Xi's recent stance on security. The piece appeared as major U.S. AI companies urged a slower pace of development, though no direct link between the two was made.