China's Spy Chief Sounds the Alarm on AI as a Weapon of Foreign Powers

A Warning From the Top of China's Intelligence World

China's top intelligence official delivered one of Beijing's most detailed warnings yet about AI, saying rapid advances in the technology could threaten political stability and critical infrastructure. The message came not from a think tank or a junior official, but from the man who runs China's most powerful spy agency — and it signals that the AI arms race has entered a new, more alarming phase.

The article, authored by Ministry of State Security (MSS) Minister Chen Yixin and published in *China Cyberspace*, frames AI as a new arena for great-power competition — a notable escalation from previous MSS statements, which touched on deepfakes in December 2025 and November 2023 but never went this far in spelling out the perceived dangers. *China Cyberspace* is the flagship publication of China's Cyberspace Administration.

Three Threats, One Technology

Chen's concerns fall into three broad categories: disinformation, cyberattacks, and technological dependence. On the disinformation front, the picture he paints is vivid. At the top of Beijing's concerns is the potential for what Chen described as "hostile forces" to wage "public-opinion wars" and "cognitive warfare." Deepfakes, AI-generated text and images, and social media bots could be used to fabricate political rumors, spread harmful information, and incite social divisions.

He also cited AI's increasing ability at discovering flaws in systems and creating malware or software to exploit those weaknesses. On the data collection front, the threat is equally concrete. Chen warned that "foreign intelligence agencies are deeply using technologies such as intelligent web crawlers, intelligent data mining, and intelligent profiling analysis to extensively collect and acquire sensitive information such as key national data, trade secrets, and citizens' personal privacy."

He singled out specific Western AI models for their advanced hacking capabilities that potentially "pose serious risks to China's critical information infrastructure." And in a nod to recent geopolitical events, the US-Iran war has also demonstrated AI's key role in the military, with better technology offering battlefield advantages, Chen said.

Not a Call to Slow Down — A Call to Catch Up

The MSS chief made no suggestion that China should slow down its own AI development. The message was not "AI is dangerous, let's pump the brakes." It was closer to "AI is dangerous, so we need to control the technology ourselves and shape the global rules around it." China must "ensure independent control of key core technologies" — including the advanced computer chips vital to training AI models — to secure its technology sovereignty, Chen wrote.

Chen also raised concerns that some domestic users lack sufficient security awareness, using foreign AI products to process sensitive information. The day after Chen's article appeared, the Cyberspace Administration of China published version 3.0 of the nation's AI Safety Governance Framework — suggesting Beijing is moving quickly to back words with policy.

Bigger Stakes on the Global Stage

The warning comes as Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington this month, with AI governance and safety set to be part of their discussions as calls mount for greater oversight of the technology. The timing is hard to ignore. Both superpowers are now publicly wrestling with AI's dangers, even if their reasons differ sharply.

Chen warned that AI is now "the main battleground for global technological competition and a new track for major power strategic rivalry." Whether the Xi-Trump summit produces any meaningful agreement on AI governance remains to be seen. But Chen's unusually blunt public warning makes one thing clear: Beijing no longer views AI purely as an economic opportunity. It sees it as an existential contest — and one it is determined not to lose.