Summary
- China is reportedly requiring some AI professionals to receive permission prior to traveling overseas.
- This decision follows Meta's divestment from Manus, restrictions on Nvidia chips, and the return of scientists.
- Talent mobility is increasingly seen as a national security concern, according to Decrypt sources.
China is said to be mandating that certain senior AI employees from private companies like Alibaba and DeepSeek obtain approval before they can travel internationally, thereby tightening government oversight of a crucial segment of the nation's technology industry.
The regulations target startup founders, researchers, and executives deemed vital to China's AI aspirations, with authorities selecting individuals based on their strategic importance rather than their rank or company affiliation, as reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the situation.
However, there are still uncertainties regarding the number of professionals impacted, the specific roles that are included, and the overall extent of these restrictions within China's AI sector. Previously, some AI workers in the private sector had to inform authorities of their overseas travel plans, but they were not required to seek explicit approval before departing the country.
These new travel restrictions come amid other indications of increasing government control over AI companies linked to China.
Last month, Beijing instructed Meta to reverse its $2 billion purchase of Manus, an AI startup that originally began in China before moving to Singapore. Additionally, China has taken steps to minimize its dependence on U.S. AI chips, steering domestic companies towards Huawei and other local alternatives.
DeepSeek, mentioned in the report, has faced scrutiny, with the Trump administration considering restrictions against the Chinese AI firm due to security concerns.
Moreover, there has been a notable increase in the return of Chinese scientists and engineers specializing in AI and semiconductors, as reported by SCMP. This includes semiconductor researcher Da Bo's return to China after his work on TSMC’s 3nm plant in Japan, and AI chip researcher Song Yuhang, who was trained at Oxford, joining the School of Artificial Intelligence at Nanjing University.
‘Reverse Brain Drain’
The reported travel restrictions complicate the narrative of China's "reverse brain drain," according to Joshua Chu, a lawyer, lecturer, and co-chair of the Hong Kong Web3 Association, speaking to Decrypt.
The return of elite chip and AI researchers has been portrayed as evidence that Beijing can attract top talent back with incentives such as financial rewards, titles, and prestige, he observed.
For leading AI and semiconductor researchers at Chinese companies, travel is now a matter of national security, Chu explained.
Authorities may view their travel documents and conference agendas as “national security variables” when there are concerns about technology leaks, he noted, indicating that this could blur the boundaries between private business and state interests while altering the terms for talent returning to China.
Chu remarked that historically, top scientists and engineers navigated a more open global economy following the Cold War.
The discussion around exit controls for AI talent in the private sector in 2026 suggests that in certain nations, the rationale for retaining human capital is starting to outweigh the rationale for allowing the free flow of ideas and individuals, he added.