Ro Khanna Demands AI Data on Chinese Theft Attempts

Representative Ro Khanna, ranking member of the House China Select Committee, sent letters on Wednesday to the CEOs of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, and SpaceXAI requesting data on illegal attempts by China or other hostile actors to access sensitive AI model weights. Khanna warned that the theft of these parameters could erode the competitive edge of the United States and endanger national security.

While OpenAI and Anthropic have reported that Chinese companies including Moonshot and DeepSeek have distilled their models, direct cases of weight theft remain rare. The inquiry follows reports that AI agents from Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic have hacked into external secure systems, fueling broader concerns over AI safety.

President Donald Trump has downplayed these risks, emphasizing the importance of competitiveness. He noted that tech executives have already agreed to establish voluntary AI standards, contrasting with lawmakers who are calling for stricter regulations.