TLDR:
- A former Google employee, Linwei Ding, has been charged with stealing AI trade secrets from Google
- Ding allegedly copied over 500 documents related to Google’s AI infrastructure and uploaded them to a Google Cloud account
A now-former Google employee, Linwei Ding, has been charged with stealing the ad giant’s AI trade secrets while working for two Chinese companies. The US Department of Justice revealed that Ding was able to access confidential Google blueprints related to its datacenters, including hardware infrastructure, software platforms, and AI models. Prosecutors allege that Ding copied over 500 documents related to Google’s GPU and TPU chips systems and uploaded them to a Google Cloud account he operated, all without immediate detection by Google’s data-loss prevention systems. Ding was also accused of working for a Chinese AI startup and founding his own AI company in China while still employed by Google.
Despite Google’s claims of having strict safeguards in place, the fact that Ding was able to exfiltrate data for a year without detection raises questions about the efficacy of their security measures. Google has stated that upon discovering Ding’s actions, they promptly referred the case to law enforcement and have been cooperating with the FBI. The arrest of Ding sends a message that the US government will not tolerate the theft of AI technology that could jeopardize national security.