According to a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), China is leveraging artificial intelligence to monitor and censor its population while exporting these techniques globally. The report titled ‘The Party’s AI: How China’s New AI Systems are Reshaping Human Rights’ details how China’s understanding of AI safety focuses on ensuring its support for socialist values and political stability.

ASPI tested AI models from Baidu, Alibaba, Zhipu AI, and DeepSeek and found these display greater censorship of politically sensitive content than similar Western-developed models. These systems often respond with error messages or completely omit sensitive information, especially when accessed through non-US platforms.

China has mandated its digital giants, including Tencent and ByteDance, to develop AI systems for filtering content, thus integrating these companies into its censorship framework. These AI tools perform initial content scanning, though human reviewers remain necessary to manage nuanced or idiomatic content.

Beyond online content, AI’s influence in China also extends into the law enforcement and justice systems, streamlining processes but raising concerns about transparency and fairness.

The report highlights that China’s AI is not only impacting its citizens but is also influencing international affairs by supporting a fishing industry that undermines the economic rights of other countries. Chinese fishing boats equipped with AI-powered prediction systems are depleting international fishing zones, exacerbating global food security issues.

ASPI suggests China is marketing its AI technologies, particularly to countries with weaker democracies, to normalize its governance models globally. The institute urges other nations to counter this influence to prevent digital authoritarianism from spreading through such technology norms.