U.S.-based artificial intelligence powerhouse Anthropic has moved to tighten restrictions on access to its technology, announcing a ban on Chinese-owned companies and organisations — even if they operate outside China.
The San Francisco startup, backed heavily by Amazon and best known for its Claude chatbot, said the decision was part of broader efforts to block access from “authoritarian regions” including China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
Entities with more than 50 percent ownership linked to these jurisdictions will now be barred under updated terms of service.
“Some groups continue accessing our services in various ways, such as through subsidiaries incorporated in other countries,” Anthropic said in a statement issued Friday. “This update prohibits companies or organisations whose ownership structures subject them to control from jurisdictions where our products are not permitted, like China — regardless of where they operate.”
The move underscores growing tensions between U.S. and Chinese tech sectors. While OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude are already unavailable in China, the restrictions have fueled the rise of domestic alternatives from tech giants such as Baidu and Alibaba.
Legal analyst Nicholas Cook, a veteran of international law firms in China, described Anthropic’s new stance as “the first formal, public prohibition of its kind by a major U.S. AI company.” He told AFP that while the immediate commercial impact may be modest — given existing barriers and China’s focus on homegrown AI — the precedent is significant. “Taking a stance like this will inevitably lead to questions about whether others will or should follow suit,” he said.
Anthropic acknowledged that the measure would cost “low hundreds of millions of dollars” in potential revenue, but executives framed the move as consistent with its mission of safe and responsible AI deployment.
Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI executives, Anthropic has rapidly emerged as one of the world’s leading AI firms.
The company, now valued at $183 billion, announced this week that it raised $13 billion in fresh funding, boasting more than 300,000 business customers and a sevenfold increase in enterprise accounts generating over $100,000 annually.
Despite bans, some users in China reportedly continue accessing U.S. generative AI systems via VPNs.
However, perceptions of U.S. dominance in the sector have been challenged by the emergence of Chinese players like DeepSeek, whose new chatbot has drawn global attention for rivaling top American models at a fraction of the cost.
About the Author
