China using bot networks to oppose US AI infrastructure: Witnesses
Witnesses told a US congressional panel that China was using bot networks, state media and US-based organisations to influence opposition to AI infrastructure. Lawmakers examined alleged foreign influence operations while debating transparency, free expression and America's technology competition with China
Washington: China is using bot networks, state media and groups operating in the United States to shape public opposition to American artificial intelligence infrastructure, witnesses told a congressional panel.
The claims were made Tuesday during a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on covert foreign influence operations in the United States. Lawmakers examined alleged campaigns involving China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and other countries.
Sam Lyman, head of research at the Bitcoin Policy Institute, said Beijing was presenting different messages about artificial intelligence to domestic and international audiences.
“China has launched complex bot networks and media campaigns to turn American public opinion against AI and data centers,” Lyman testified.
He said the social media platform X disclosed a network of about 200,000 suspected fake accounts from China in August. About 200 of those accounts allegedly carried messages opposing US data centres.
The accounts focused on electricity prices, pressure on power grids and the environmental costs of AI infrastructure, he said.
Lyman alleged that Chinese state media had promoted similar arguments to American audiences while Beijing subsidised up to half of the energy costs incurred by AI data centres in China.
“That is a documented double standard that we’ve seen with the networks advocacy,” he said.
Lyman also accused a network of US-based nonprofit organisations supported by Shanghai-based businessman Neville Roy Singham of amplifying messages critical of the American technology industry.
He said the network’s activities had affected 21 campaigns across 14 US states and contributed to delays or reductions involving about $23.6 billion in proposed AI infrastructure investment.
The campaigns contributed to 10 data centre moratoriums, one permanent ban and four rejected or abandoned projects, according to his testimony.
Lyman, however, cautioned against treating every American opponent of data centres as part of a foreign campaign. Communities have raised concerns about electricity demand, water consumption, land use and higher utility costs.
“Two things can be true at once,” he said. “First, there is a foreign influence campaign against American AI. And second, Americans have genuine concerns about the data center buildout that need to be heard.”
Matthew Johnson, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, said the Chinese Communist Party sought relationships with institutions capable of influencing public debate and government decisions.
“Beijing cannot simply command an American university, company, journalist, think tank or activist,” Johnson said. “It must gain access and cultivate relationships within institutions that shape perception, expertise and decision making.”
He said Beijing used access to markets, officials, research partners, data and funding as incentives. Visa restrictions, market pressure, intimidation and legal costs could be used against those who resisted, he added.
Subcommittee Chairman Bill Huizenga, a Michigan Republican, said the hearing was intended to expose hidden funding and artificial amplification without restricting constitutionally protected expression.
“Transparency is a key to ensuring Americans can engage in robust debate on issues facing our nation,” Huizenga said.
Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove, the panel’s ranking Democrat, said foreign influence deserved scrutiny but argued that Congress should also examine President Donald Trump’s foreign business relationships and his administration’s handling of advanced AI chip exports.
India is rapidly expanding its own AI and data centre capacity as demand grows for cloud computing, digital public infrastructure and advanced computing services. The country is also seeking greater access to high-end chips while developing partnerships with the United States and other technology powers.
The congressional debate is relevant to India because decisions in Washington on chips, data centres and technology controls can influence global supply chains. Competition between the United States and China is also reshaping investment choices and technology partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.
