The move comes after seeing the astronomical wages being offered for valuable AI competence by US labs, such as Meta, Bloomberg writes, but notes that China sees AI labs as a strategic asset and are concerned about data leaks.
The previous policy included restrictions for individuals that were senior researchers in education, nuclear scientists and top executives of government companies, Tom’s Hardware writes.
Before this, AI workers on the list only had to report where they were traveling, but did not have to ask for specific permission.
The new rules might inspire early-stage talent with international ambitions to leave the country before getting added to the list, and dissuade overseas talent from moving home to China, Bloomberg says.
Read more: Bloomberg, Tom’s Hardware, and The Decoder.