Bloomberg: Four Z.AI Founders Worked on Research Project Co-Funded by Institute Linked to Chinese Spy Agency by UK MI5
Bloomberg reports that four co-founders of Chinese AI firm Z.AI participated in a 2018-2021 research project co-funded by CGTRI, an institute UK MI5 says has 'very strong ties' to China's Ministry of State Security.
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According to Bloomberg, four co-founders of Chinese artificial intelligence company Z.AI Co.—Li Juanzi, Tang Jie, Xu Bin, and Zhang Peng—participated in a research project between 2018 and 2021. The project was jointly funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI), with an approved budget of 2.94 million yuan.
Britain’s Security Service (MI5) previously issued an alert stating that CGTRI has “very strong ties” to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) and funds academic work intended to strengthen the MSS’s espionage capabilities. MI5 advised UK academic institutions to immediately review any collaborations with CGTRI.
Citing a 78-page project report, Bloomberg said the research envisioned AI systems capable of mining social media posts to identify emerging events and reveal links among people. The report emphasized that this description concerned proposed capabilities, not evidence that such tools were deployed.
China’s Embassy in Britain disputed MI5’s allegations against CGTRI. Z.AI and the four founders did not respond to Bloomberg’s requests for comment. Filings by Z.AI with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange confirm the four individuals as co-founders, with Zhang serving as chief executive.