US government website removes Chinese AI model flagged as malicious by FBI

The US National Archives has removed a Chinese AI search tool from the Federal Register website following reports that it utilized Alibaba’s Qwen model. The integration drew scrutiny because the FBI recently identified Alibaba as one of six Chinese firms allegedly engaging in the industrial-scale distillation of US frontier AI models. Federal officials have not provided a timeline for when the tool was implemented or why it was selected, and the National Archives has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the removal. The incident highlights growing tensions regarding the use of foreign-developed AI in sensitive government infrastructure. While the FBI and White House have declined to comment, the removal underscores the administration's increasing caution toward Chinese technology providers amid concerns over intellectual property theft and national security risks in the global race for artificial intelligence dominance.