AI whistleblower claims China has spies inside OpenAI, Anthropic
What's the story
AI whistleblower Jacob Coxon has raised concerns over possible espionage by China within US-based AI firms. Speaking on the PBD podcast, Coxon said, "I think one really important thing people don't realise is that China already has spies at OpenAI and Anthropic." The former Anthropic researcher said he is "90% certain" that rival spies have already infiltrated major AI labs.
Espionage implications
China can steal tech advancements at any time: Coxon
Coxon emphasized the serious implications of this potential infiltration, saying it could allow China to steal technological advancements from US companies.
He said, "China has the ability to hack at any time. If we pull ahead, that doesn't give us a big lead. They can just step in, steal our progress at any time and catch up."
Hiring regulations
Coxon calls for stricter hiring regulations in AI companies
Coxon also stressed the need for stricter hiring regulations in AI companies to prevent potential espionage.
"We can start properly vetting and background checking. I don't think SpaceX can hire Chinese nationals, but these AI companies can hire foreign nationals like me, which is pretty surprising," he said.
A British researcher, Coxon shot into the spotlight in September 2026 following his exit from Anthropic, where he warned that top AI firms are racing toward self-improving superintelligence without adequate safeguards.
AI competition
Concerns over China's role in the AI race
Coxon's comments come amid rising concerns over China's role in the AI race.
In the past, OpenAI and Anthropic have accused Chinese companies like Moonshot and DeepSeek of trying to distill their models. Distillation is a process where a smaller model is trained on a larger one.
These allegations highlight the ongoing fears of potential intellectual property theft within the global AI industry.