A former Google engineer has been charged with stealing AI technology while secretly collaborating with two China-based companies.
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Karl Cote/Getty Images
A former Google engineer has been charged with stealing AI technology while secretly collaborating with two China-based companies.
Karl Cote/Getty Images
A Chinese national who allegedly stole more than 500 files from Google containing confidential information about the company’s AI technology has been arrested and charged with stealing trade secrets, according to the Department of Justice.
The defendant, former Google employee Linwei Ding, was arrested Wednesday morning in Newark, California. The 38-year-old is charged with four counts of theft of trade secrets. Prosecutors said that while Ding worked for Google and stole components of its AI technology, he was also secretly employed by two China-based technology companies.
“The Department of Justice will not tolerate the theft of artificial intelligence or other advanced technologies that could endanger national security,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “We will strictly protect sensitive technology developed in the United States from falling into the hands of people who should not have it,” he said.
The incident is the latest example of what U.S. officials say is a persistent campaign by China to steal U.S. trade secrets, technology and intellectual property. Officials say China aims to use the stolen secrets to replace the United States as the world’s leading power.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said, “Today’s charges are the latest example of the lengths to which affiliates of companies based in the People’s Republic of China will go to steal American innovation.” . “The theft of innovative technology and trade secrets from U.S. companies could result in job losses and devastating economic and national security effects.”
The United States is a world leader in AI, an emerging technology that has the potential to reshape many aspects of modern life.
AI also has the potential to become an essential tool for law enforcement to protect public safety. But Justice Department officials have also warned of the potential risks to national security if AI falls into the hands of criminals or hostile nations.
The department also created a task force to protect advanced U.S. technologies, such as AI, from theft by foreign adversaries.
In Ding’s case, the indictment says the trade secrets he allegedly stole were “hardware infrastructure and software platforms that enable Google’s supercomputing data centers to train large-scale AI models through machine learning. It is said that it is related to “.
According to court documents, Ding was hired by Google as a software engineer in 2019. His work focused on developing software related to machine learning and AI applications, prosecutors said.
In May 2022, Ding allegedly began uploading sensitive information (totaling more than 500 unique files) from Google’s network to his personal Google Cloud account.
Prosecutors said Ding tried to conceal what he was doing by first copying the stolen files to the Apple Notes application on his laptop, converting them to PDF files and uploading them to his personal cloud account. It is said that he did.
Less than a month later, Ding received an email from the head of Chinese technology company Beijing Rongzhou Lianzhi Technology offering him the position of chief technology officer, according to court documents. That’s what it means.
Ding is said to have traveled to China to help raise funds for the company, which is working on AI development, and was announced to be the company’s chief technology officer (CTO). A year later, Ding is said to have founded his own technology company, Zhisuan, which also focuses on AI and machine learning.
Prosecutors said Ding did not inform Google of his ties to any Chinese companies and remains employed by Google.
Then, in December 2023, Google discovered that Ding was trying to upload more files from the company’s network to his personal account while in China, according to court documents. Ding allegedly told company investigators that he uploaded the files as evidence of his work at Google.
A week after being interviewed by investigators, Ding allegedly booked a one-way ticket to Beijing. He then submitted his resignation to Google. Shortly after, the company learned that Mr. Ding was working with Mr. Zhisuan. Google subsequently suspended his access to its network.
Shortly after, the FBI began an investigation.
