Ex-Google software package engineer charged with thieving AI technological know-how even though working with Chinese businesses

Ex-Google software package engineer charged with thieving AI technological know-how even though working with Chinese businesses


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A previous computer software engineer at Google has been charged with stealing synthetic intelligence engineering from the organization whilst secretly functioning with two companies primarily based in China, the Justice Section claimed Wednesday.

Linwei Ding, a Chinese countrywide, was arrested in Newark, California, on 4 counts of federal trade magic formula theft, each punishable by up to 10 several years in jail.

The case versus Ding was getting declared at an American Bar Association Conference in San Francisco by Legal professional Normal Merrick Garland, who along with other regulation enforcement leaders has repeatedly warned about the menace of Chinese economic espionage and about the national safety concerns posed by breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.

“Present-day expenses are the hottest illustration of the lengths affiliate marketers of organizations based mostly in the People’s Republic of China are prepared to go to steal American innovation,” FBI Director Christopher Wray reported in a statement. “The theft of revolutionary technologies and trade techniques from American providers can charge careers and have devastating economic and countrywide security repercussions.”

Justice Office leaders in current weeks have been sounding alarms about how foreign adversaries could harness AI systems to negatively affect the United States.

Deputy Attorney Typical Lisa Monaco stated in a speech very last month that the administration’s multi-company Disruptive Technologies Strike Power would place AI enforcement at the top rated of its priority list, and Wray told enterprise leaders at an function last 7 days that AI and other emerging systems had created it much easier for adversaries to attempt to interfere with the American political course of action.

An indictment unsealed Wednesday in the Northern District of California alleges that Ding, who was employed by Google in 2019 and experienced accessibility to private information and facts about the firm’s supercomputing details centers, commenced uploading hundreds of documents into a individual Google Cloud account two decades ago.

Inside weeks of the theft commencing, prosecutors say, Ding was offered the placement of main technology officer at an early-phase technological know-how business in China that touted its use of AI technologies. The indictment states Ding traveled to China and participated in trader meetings at the organization and sought to raise funds for it.

He also separately founded and served as main executive of a China-based mostly startup company that aspired to teach “significant AI styles run by supercomputing chips,” the indictment explained.

Prosecutors say Ding did not disclose either affiliation to Google.

He resigned from the business on Dec. 26. A few days later, Google officers figured out that he experienced offered as CEO of 1 of the Chinese providers at an trader conference in Beijing. Officers also reviewed surveillance demonstrating that another personnel experienced scanned Ding’s entry badge at the constructing wherever he labored to make it look like Ding was there throughout times when he was actually in China, the indictment suggests.

It was not straight away obvious whether Ding, 38, had a attorney who could converse on his behalf.



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