United States limits exports of artificial intelligence software to rival powers like China
- Companies that export certain types of geospatial imagery software must apply for a licence under a new rule set to take effect on Monday
- Move designed to ‘keep American companies from helping Chinese make better AI products’, industry expert says
“They want to keep American companies from helping the Chinese make better AI products that can help their military,” said James Lewis, a technology expert with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington.
The rule was likely to be welcomed by the industry, which had feared a much broader crackdown on exports of most artificial intelligence hardware and software, he said.
The rule covered software that could be used by sensors, drones and satellites to automate the process of identifying targets for both military and civilian ends, he said.
The measure is the first to be finalised by the US commerce department under a mandate from a 2018 law, which tasked the agency with writing rules to boost oversight of exports of sensitive technology to adversaries like China, for economic and security reasons.
