China is increasingly keeping its best AI talent to itself | TechCrunch

Chinese authorities are imposing travel restrictions on prominent AI researchers, startup founders, and private-firm executives, requiring government approval for overseas travel. The measures reflect Beijing’s effort to reduce brain drain as global demand for AI talent grows for training and improving models. Reports indicate authorities advised top AI figures to avoid traveling to the U.S. after March 2025. Restrictions have intensified alongside scrutiny of the Manus-Meta deal, where Manus co-founders were barred from leaving while regulators investigate whether Meta’s $2 billion acquisition violates foreign investment rules. Manus co-founders are exploring options to unwind the deal, including raising about $1 billion to buy back the company. Meanwhile, U.S.-China model performance gaps have narrowed sharply, while the U.S. still leads in quality and high-impact patents.

"Researchers, startup founders and executives at private firms are now reportedly subject to travel restrictions, with some of the industry's most prominent figures required to seek government approval before heading abroad. The restrictions reflect a wider shift in how Beijing manages the brain-drain in the AI sector, which has seen skyrocketing demand for talent to train and tweak AI models as the global tech industry taps into this new avenue to seek growth."

"In March 2025, the Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese authorities had been advising top AI founders and researchers to avoid traveling to the U.S., an early signal of just how closely Beijing has come to guard AI as both an economic asset and a national security priority. Restrictions appear to have intensified in the wake of Beijing narrowing its focus on the Manus-Meta deal."

"China has barred Manus' two co-founders from leaving the country while its regulators investigate whether Meta's $2 billion acquisition of the AI startup runs afoul of Beijing's foreign investment rules, according to The Financial Times. The co-founders of Manus are now said to be exploring options to fulfill Beijing's demand to unwind the deal, including raising about $1 billion from external investors to buy back the company from the social media giant."

"Stanford's latest index shows the performance gap between the top U.S. and Chinese models had shrunk to just 2.7% as of March 2026, from about 31% in 2023, raising fresh questions about how long America can hold its lead. The U.S. still dominates in terms of model quality and high-impact patents, but China is fast catching up if not outpacing American AI labs, in publications, citations and patent volume."

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