China is reportedly requiring some senior AI workers at private firms including Alibaba and DeepSeek to obtain approval before traveling abroad.

The restrictions apply to startup founders, researchers, and executives considered important to China’s AI ambitions, with authorities adding people to the list based on their strategic value rather than their seniority or employer, according to a Bloomberg report citing people familiar with the matter.

The moves highlight how elite AI engineers are now seen as strategic assets to the world’s second-largest economy.

Much of China’s pool of top-flight AI talent emerged in the post-ChatGPT era – and mostly at the country’s tech giants or private start-ups.

Such restrictions, however, risk undermining the ability of AI firms in China to recruit and retain talent.