GoKawiilFederal Register briefly used Alibaba's Qwen AI model, then pulled it after backlash
US officials removed a Chinese-made Qwen AI search tool from the Federal Register website on Wednesday after social media users spotted it powering search of public regulatory comments. The tool, made by Alibaba, had been live for at least a day before removal, and neither the National Archives, the White House, nor the FBI has explained how or why it was deployed.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The episode is awkward for Washington because the FBI recently accused Alibaba and other Chinese firms of illegally distilling US AI models to speed China's AI progress, yet a US government site was using one of those same models. Experts note the real risk hinges on unknown details—how the model was trained and whether US data passed through Alibaba-controlled systems—leaving open questions about vetting AI tools used in federal infrastructure.
- A Federal Register tool briefly ran on Alibaba's Qwen model before being quietly removed.
- The incident contradicts recent FBI warnings about Chinese AI firms allegedly copying US models.
- Security experts say the actual risk depends on training data and whether US information reached Alibaba-controlled systems.
Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-09-18
Published there as: “US government website used Chinese model the FBI called "malicious"”
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