Trump admin bans Chinese robot imports, citing national security threats

The Trump administration is banning Chinese robots in an effort to stem national security risks and help the domestic AI industry continue to grow.The Federal Communications Commission listed imports of new humanoid and quadruped robots from China — along with connected power inverters, which let the devices connect to the US grid — as verboten.They can no longer be imported, marketed or sold in the US.“Advanced robotic devices collect data that could be leveraged by malign actors to surveil Americans, enhance the capabilities of foreign intelligence services, or to remotely commandeer the robots,” the White House said a Tuesday statement.China produces the vast majority of the world’s humanoid robots – one of the latest flashpoints in the artificial intelligence arms race between Washington and Beijing.

Analysts say China has built a lead in AI consumer applications and AI-enabled hardware thanks to its mass-manufacturing capabilities.Today, the bots can perform limited basic tasks like greeting customers at a store or simple home chores like folding laundry.Technologists are racing to improve humanoid robot capabilities, believing that one day the bots will be everywhere in homes, schools, workplaces and factories.The crackdown stems from a national security determination issued Monday by a White House-convened interagency body, which concluded that internet-connected robots could expose Americans to data privacy and cybersecurity risks.“Advanced robotic devices collect data that could be leveraged by malign actors to surveil Americans, enhance the capabilities of foreign intelligence services, or to remotely commandeer the robots,” the White House said.In a separate statement, the FCC warned that the machines “could create supply chain vulnerabilities that could disrupt US economic and national security and could create a cybersecurity risk that threatened American critical infrastructure.”Humanoid robots could become one of the biggest mark...