Ding allegedly faked his presence at the US Office of Google in December 2020 and subsequently founded Zhisuan, a tech company focused on AI and machine learning

The DOJ claims that he faked being present at the US office of Google in December of 2020 by having someone else take his photo at the door. Ding has been charged with four counts of theft of trade secrets, so he’s facing up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count if convicted.

Much of the stolen data allegedly revolves around Google’s tensor processing unit (TPU) chips. Many of its Artificial Intelligence work is powered by the tech giant’s chips and can be trained and run with the help of the pros. The company has also offered access to the chips through partner platforms like Hugging Face.

Prosecutors say that he tried to cover his tracks by copying the stolen files into Apple Notes on his laptop, converting them into PDF files and uploading them to his personal Cloud account.

Ding allegedly traveled to China to help raise money for the company, which worked on AI, and was announced as the company’s CTO. A year later, Ding also allegedly founded his own technology company, Zhisuan, that also focused on AI and machine learning.

U.S. Attorney General Garland vs. Beijing Rongshu Lianzhi Technology: How Artificial Intelligence is Used to Protect National Security

Attorney General Garland said in a statement that the Justice Department will not tolerate the theft of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies that could endanger our national security. We will protect sensitive technologies developed in America from falling into the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.

The case is latest example of what American officials say is a relentless campaign by China to try to steal U.S. trade secrets, technology and intellectual property. Officials say China aims to use those stolen secrets to supplant the U.S. as the world’s leading power.

law enforcement could use Artificial Intelligence to protect public safety. But Justice Department officials also have warned of the potential dangers that AI poses to national security if it falls into the hands of criminals or hostile nation states.

In May of 2022, Ding allegedly began uploading confidential information—more than 500 unique files in all—from Google’s network into a personal Google Cloud account.

Less than a month later, court papers say, Ding received emails from the head of a Chinese technology company, Beijing Rongshu Lianzhi Technology, with an offer to be the company’s chief technology officer.