China’s intelligence chief just gave a revealing glimpse into what Beijing fears most about AI

Xi Jinping.

Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images China's spy chief offered a rare look at what Beijing sees as AI's biggest risks.

Chen Yixin identified six major AI risks for China in a journal article published Sunday.

His warning comes as leaders of the biggest AI companies publicly agreed that a slowdown is necessary China's spy chief just offered a window into Beijing's priorities when it comes to AI's biggest risks.

Chen Yixin, China's minister of state security, published an article Sunday morning in China Cyberspace, a journal run by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country's internet regulator.

In it, Chen identified six major risks AI could pose to Beijing.

The first was "regime security." He wrote that "various hostile forces and malicious individuals abuse generative AI technologies — such as deepfake audio and video, AI-generated images and text, and intelligent online armies — to produce political rumors at low cost and in large quantities." Those tools can "spread harmful information, incite antagonistic emotions, and wage a war of public opinion and cognitive warfare," posing direct threats to China's political, institutional, and ideological security, he said.

Chen also identified five other major AI risks, including: Dangers to China's critical infrastructure , because cyberattacks can be carried out with extreme efficiency, considering the power of models like Mythos.

The risk of large-scale data leaks, where Chinese AI users and foreign intelligence agencies alike could obtain critical national data, trade secrets, or citizens' personal information.

An imbalance in technological development caused by monopolies and closed technological systems, as countries can exploit AI's power and fragment supply chains in the name of national security.

Challenges to social governance that lead to disruptions in public order.

Fundamental shifts in warfare , as AI-powered precision targeting gives adversaries a major advantage on the battlefield.

More regulation for the 'wellbeing of all humanity' Chen advocated for strong "developmental guidelines" for AI to be put in place — essentially, more government control of AI development.

What that involves, per Chen, will be for Beijing to "accelerate the construction of a security risk prevention and control system." China should promote the "healthy and orderly development" of AI through "high-efficiency governance," Chen said.