Leading Chinese tech companies like Alibaba, ByteDance, and Meituan are strategically investing in building AI teams in California. To strengthen their position in the global race for generative AI, they are actively recruiting US talent despite trade restrictions and geopolitical tensions.
Although the United States has restricted the export of high-performance AI chips, such as those from Nvidia, to Chinese companies, there are currently no regulations preventing Chinese companies with US-based operations from accessing these technologies. This creates a regulatory gray area that firms like Alibaba, ByteDance, and Meituan are leveraging strategically.
Alibaba has assembled a team of AI researchers, engineers, and product managers in Sunnyvale. According to insider reports, the company plans to spin off this unit as an independent start-up in the long term. The team’s primary focus is enhancing the AI-powered search engine Accio, tailored to meet the needs of international merchants.
Meituan, a leading Chinese company in food delivery and lifestyle services, has established a new AI team operating in both California and Beijing. The team is working on applications like menu translations and virtual assistants to enhance customer experience.
At ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, multiple teams are focused on projects such as integrating AI features into TikTok and developing the large-scale language model Doubao. These efforts are overseen by an experienced AI specialist based in Beijing.
A central goal of this expansion is to attract highly qualified talent from US companies like OpenAI, Google, and Meta. One example is the start-up Moonshot AI, now operating in both San Francisco and Beijing. The company has gained attention in China with its AI chatbot Kimi.
Washington’s measures to restrict China’s access to cutting-edge technologies challenge this expansion strategy. Proposed future regulations may require cloud providers to verify the identities of AI users and report their activities. Such rules could significantly limit the ability of Chinese companies to advance their AI developments in the US.
Source: FT