China Turns AI Into Global Control Machinery

A new report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) warns that China is rapidly converting artificial intelligence into a precision instrument of political control reshaping censorship, policing, surveillance and even economic influence overseas.

ASPI finds that Chinese large language models now censor politically sensitive images, not just text. Using a dataset of 200 images, researchers discovered multiple layers of embedded visual censorship across China’s LLM ecosystem, an area largely overlooked until now. This sits alongside AI systems that already scan and delete online content within seconds, forming the backbone of China’s industrialised censorship regime.

AI Across the Justice and Surveillance Systems

The report shows AI spreading across the entire criminal-justi