Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said commercial and state-sponsored espionage are both real, and that U.S. companies and the government need to be wary as the AI race continues. He warned that AI amplifies cybersecurity risks to U.S. digital infrastructure, which the government is working to harden. Clayton referred to the case of Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, charged with allegedly installing a recording device in an OpenAI executive conference room, though he has not been charged with espionage but with intercepting oral communications. He also said the White House AI task force he leads held its first meeting and that the U.S. must stay ahead of rivals including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.
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