China boycotts top AI conference after ban on papers from US-sanctioned entities China’s largest federation for science and technology professionals announced a boycott of the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS), a leading artificial intelligence conference, following a policy change by the California-based foundation that organizes the event. The decision to exclude submissions from entities under U.S. sanctions, including Chinese tech companies like Huawei and SMIC (0981.HK), sparked significant backlash in China, which is engaged in a fierce competition with the United States to advance cutting-edge AI technologies. NeurIPS, a key platform for global researchers to share peer-reviewed work and recruit talent, now faces criticism for its new stance, which aligns with U.S. legal requirements. The Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST) stated it would halt funding applications for members wishing to attend NeurIPS and redirect them to domestic or internationally recognized conferences that respect the interests of Chinese academics. CAST also clarified that research papers accepted at NeurIPS would no longer qualify as valid outputs for its funding programs, though they would still be acknowledged for their academic impact if evaluated by Chinese academic societies. This move underscores the growing influence of geopolitical tensions on AI research, as both the U.S. and China leverage state power to shape each other’s technological capabilities. The U.S. has intensified scrutiny of Chinese scientists at American universities, investigating alleged ties to entities in mainland China. Sanctions have been imposed on hundreds of Chinese universities and companies, restricting their access to advanced U.S. technology.#us #china #cast #neurips #huawei
