Published On 5/7/2026
In a move that reflects the escalating tension in the global artificial intelligence market, the Chinese Alibaba Group decided to ban the use of the artificial intelligence tool “Claude” of the American company Anthropic within its work environment, in a decision that sparked widespread controversy about whether the primary motive was purely security or part of a deeper technical and commercial conflict between the major powers in this sector.
Resolution background
According to technical media reports, Alibaba issued internal directives preventing employees from using Cloud Code in daily work, while requiring them to switch to alternative tools developed internally by the company.
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This step comes in a broader context of emphasis on the use of external artificial intelligence tools within major Chinese companies, especially those linked to American companies.
The decision is seen as part of a growing policy by Chinese technology companies aimed at reducing reliance on foreign artificial intelligence models and strengthening control over sensitive data and digital infrastructure.
Declared security reasons
The most widely reported reason for the ban revolves around security concerns, as reports indicate that Alibaba considered that the use of external models such as “Cloud” may pose a potential risk in terms of leakage of sensitive data related to internal projects, lack of clarity about the mechanisms for storing and processing data on external servers, in addition to the possibility of the presence of backdoor vulnerabilities or undeclared access points in cloud models.
In large enterprise environments, especially those working in e-commerce, cloud computing and artificial intelligence, protecting operational and business data is a top priority, making any third-party tool subject to strict security scrutiny.
The technical dimension: controlling the artificial intelligence model
But from a technical angle, the decision reflects an increasing trend towards localizing artificial intelligence within major companies. Instead of relying on ready-made models from a third party, companies like Alibaba are moving to develop their own models that can be fully controlled in terms of cloud infrastructure, model training mechanism, data management and anonymity, and internal compliance policies.
Reports also indicate that Alibaba has pushed for the use of alternative internal tools, as it is believed that among them is an internal system directed at software development that relies on the company’s own linguistic models, which gives it greater ability to control security and performance.
The US-China conflict in artificial intelligence
This decision cannot be separated from the broader geopolitical context, as the competition between American and Chinese artificial intelligence companies has become one of the most prominent axes of the technical war between the two countries.
On the one hand, American companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic are leading the wave of development in advanced language models, and on the other hand, Chinese companies such as Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent are accelerating the development of competing models, focusing on technical independence and reducing dependence on Western technology.
This competition is not limited to the market only, but extends to sensitive issues such as data security, ownership of models, use of data in training, and regulatory restrictions between countries.
Claude is within range of restrictions
The “Cloud” tool, developed by Anthropic, is one of the most prominent competitors in the linguistic modeling market, and is distinguished by its focus on security and reliability in answers. However, such cloud tools are subject to data use policies that differ from one company to another, which raises concerns for large organizations that deal with sensitive data.
For companies the size of Alibaba, any external tool represents a potential point of leakage of business knowledge or loss of control over the internal data cycle.
Potential effects
This type of decision is expected to lead to several outcomes in the medium term, including accelerating the development of internal AI models within major companies, increasing the technical divide between Western and Chinese systems, reshaping the market for enterprise AI tools, and tightening cybersecurity policies related to the use of AI.
It may also prompt other companies to take similar steps, especially in sensitive sectors such as e-commerce, financial services, and cloud computing.
According to experts, Alibaba’s decision to ban the use of “Cloud” does not appear to be just a simple technical measure, but rather reflects a complex intersection between cybersecurity, digital sovereignty, and global competition in the field of artificial intelligence. While the company justifies the move for security reasons, observers believe that it is also part of a broader race to redraw the map of power in the world of artificial intelligence between the East and the West.
