WASHINGTON, D.C. — A screenshot posted on X by user 'tleilax___' showed the Qwen search option on the Federal Register website on September 15. It was unclear when the Qwen search tool was deployed on the Federal Register website.

The removal follows recent allegations regarding Chinese technology firms. The FBI named Alibaba among six Chinese firms allegedly conducting 'industrial-scale distillation' of US AI models earlier this month. The FBI accused Alibaba of copying Anthropic's models to build its own artificial intelligence tools. US officials stated that Chinese AI companies were engaged in 'malicious' copying of US technology on an 'industrial scale.' A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said the allegations of copying were 'unfounded.'

Georgetown University Law Professor Anupam Chander said the use of the Qwen model did not appear to present an immediate cybersecurity risk, though that depends on how the model was trained. Qwen is an open-weight model, meaning key components of the system are publicly available.

The White House did not comment on the use or removal of the AI tool. The FBI declined to comment on the incident.

Why It Matters

The Federal Register serves as the official public record of U.S. federal regulations and proposed rules, established in 1935 under the Federal Register Act. The National Archives, created in 1934 to preserve and provide access to U.S. government records, operates the site and has historically maintained strict guidelines for handling federal information systems.

The National Archives has previously restricted the use of foreign-developed software in its systems, citing cybersecurity concerns, though specific policies were not publicly detailed in the provided sources. In April, US House committees on China and homeland security sent a letter to Airbnb asking for details about its use of Qwen.

Timeline

A screenshot posted on X by user 'tleilax___' showed the Qwen search option on the Federal Register website on September 15.

What's New

The National Archives was created in 1934 to preserve and provide access to U.S. government records, including the Federal Register, and has historically maintained strict guidelines for handling federal information systems. The Federal Register was established in 1935 under the Federal Register Act to serve as the official public record of U.S. federal regulations and proposed rules.

Representative Moolenaar said, "No federal government entity should use a Chinese AI model." Moolenaar stated that using Chinese AI models makes the federal government more dependent on them and is not in the national interest. The National Archives has previously restricted the use of foreign-developed software in its systems, citing cybersecurity concerns, though specific policies were not publicly detailed in the provided sources.

Daniel Castro, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, said, "It's one of the most insane things I've ever seen." Castro stated there is a disconnect between US-China AI competition and a US agency using a Chinese-made AI model.