U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Senator Jim Banks sent letters on May 1 to nine artificial intelligence companies, asking about their measures to protect against espionage from the People’s Republic of China.
The inquiry comes as concerns grow over the security of American AI technologies, which lawmakers say are vital for national security and economic leadership. Grassley and Banks pointed to state-backed programs, corporate infiltration, and coercive tactics by China as threats facing these companies.
“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has an extensive track record of conducting espionage on U.S. companies in critical sectors… Protecting AI technology from PRC espionage is of paramount importance, especially as these systems become more powerful,” Grassley and Banks wrote in their letter.
The senators addressed their questions to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google LLC, x.AI Corp., Meta Platforms Inc., Microsoft, Amazon, Safe Superintelligence Inc., and Thinking Machines Lab. They asked each company to explain how they detect Chinese espionage attempts, manage insider threats linked to China, secure sensitive information about AI models, and notify the government if a threat is detected.
Grassley brings a long history of public service to this issue. He served in the Iowa state legislature from 1958 to 1974 according to his official website, holds degrees in political science from the University of Northern Iowa according to his official website, and has experience working in factories as a sheet metal shearer and assembly line worker according to his official website. He is also one of only two farmers currently serving in the Senate who actively raises corn and soybeans in Butler County according to his official website. Married since 1954 with five children according to his official website, he assists Iowans with federal agency matters including whistleblower issues according to his official website.
As concerns about foreign interference continue within key technology sectors like artificial intelligence, lawmakers are seeking greater transparency into how leading tech firms address potential risks.
