The White House has said it will work more closely with US artificial intelligence (AI) firms to combat "industrial-scale campaigns" by foreign actors to steal advances in the technology.
Michael Kratsios, Director of Science and Technology Policy, wrote in an internal memo that the administration had new information indicating "foreign entities, principally based in China" were exploiting American firms.
Through a process called "distilling", such firms are essentially copying AI technology developed by US companies, he said.
A representative of China's US embassy in Washington DC said its development was "the result of its own dedication and effort as well as international cooperation".
In the memo, Kratsios said the aim was to "systematically undermine American research and development and access proprietary information".
