INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology said it is reviewing the university’s relationship with SenseTime, one of eight Chinese tech
companies placed on the U.S
Entity List yesterday for their alleged role in human rights abuses against Muslim minority groups in China.An MIT spokesperson told
Bloomberg that “MIT has long had a robust export controls function that pays careful attention to export control regulations and
MIT will review all existing relationships with organizations added to the U.S
Department of Commerce’s Entity List, and modify any interactions, as necessary.”A SenseTime representative told Bloomberg, “We are
deeply disappointed with this decision by the U.S
We will work closely with all relevant authorities to fully understand and resolve the situation.”The companies placed on the blacklist
included several of China’s top AI startups and companies that have supplied software to mass surveillance systems that may have been used
by the Chinese government to persecute Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups.Over one million Uighurs are believed to currently be held
in detention camps, where human rights observers report they have been subjected to forced labor and torture.SenseTime, the world’s mostly
highly valued AI startup, provided software to the Chinese government for its national surveillance system, including CCTV cameras
It was the first company to join an MIT Intelligence Quest initiative launched last year with the goal of “driv[ing] technological
breakthroughs in AI that have the potential to confront some of the world’s greatest challenges.” Since then, it has provided funding
for 27 projects by MIT researchers.Earlier this year, MIT ended its working relationships with Huawei and ZTE over alleged sanction
