A former software engineer at Google has been charged with stealing the company’s artificial intelligence technology while secretly working with two China-based companies, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Linwei Ding, a Chinese national, was arrested in Newark, California, on four counts of theft of federal trade secrets, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The case against Ding was announced at an American Bar Association conference in San Francisco by Attorney General Merrick Garland, who along with other law enforcement officials has repeatedly warned against the threat of Chinese economic espionage and against the national security challenges posed by advances in artificial intelligence. intelligence.
“Today’s charges are the latest illustration of efforts by affiliates of companies based in the People’s Republic of China to steal American innovation,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
“Theft of innovative technologies and trade secrets from American companies can cost jobs and have devastating consequences for the economy and national security.”
Ding uploaded files to his personal account: indictment
In recent weeks, U.S. Justice Department leaders have sounded the alarm about how foreign adversaries could exploit AI technologies to negatively impact the United States.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a speech last month that the administration’s multi-agency Disruptive Technology Strike Force would put the application of AI at the top of its priority list. Wray told business leaders at an event last week that AI and other emerging technologies have made it easier for adversaries to try to interfere with the U.S. political process.
A Federal Court judge has barred a Chinese engineering student from studying in Canada, fearing his government would pressure him into spying. Experts believe that other similar cases could arise.
An indictment unsealed Wednesday in the Northern District of California alleges that Ding, who was hired by Google in 2019 and had access to confidential information about the company’s supercomputing data centers, began downloading hundreds of files on a personal Google Cloud account two years ago.
Held management positions while working for Google
A few weeks after the theft began, prosecutors say, Ding was offered the position of chief technology officer at a startup tech company in China that touted its use of AI technology. The indictment says Ding traveled to China and attended investor meetings at the company and sought to raise capital for it.
He also separately founded and ran a China-based startup that aspired to train “large AI models powered by supercomputing chips,” the indictment says.
Prosecutors say Ding did not disclose any of his affiliations with Google.
He resigned from the company on December 26. Three days later, Google officials learned that he had introduced himself as CEO of one of the Chinese companies at an investor conference in Beijing. Officials also reviewed surveillance showing another employee scanned Ding’s access badge to the building where he worked to make it appear Ding was there at times he was in China, the filing states. ‘charge.
It was not immediately clear whether Ding, 38, had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
