Hong Kong must wake up to the cold hard geopolitics of AI

Hong Kong's position as a global financial hub faces a new challenge as artificial intelligence tools, once considered routine infrastructure, are increasingly subject to geopolitical restrictions.

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The geopolitics of AI are no longer abstract. They are beginning to shape who can use which tools – and on what terms.

Recent reports indicate that major international banks like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs have removed Anthropic's generative AI tool, Claude, from their Hong Kong-based teams' internal systems. This decision stems from broader access limitations that are beginning to shape the use of AI technologies.

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Claude’s removal is not merely a corporate adjustment. It is a warning that AI is increasingly treated as a strategic asset, rather than as neutral infrastructure.

The implications extend beyond mere inconvenience. If employees in Singapore or New York retain access to such tools while their Hong Kong counterparts do not, the city's competitive edge is diminished. This situation reflects a growing trend where AI is treated as a strategic asset, subject to export controls and regional carve-outs.

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Some advanced systems now include regional carve-outs excluding “Greater China”. Anthropic has made clear that Claude is not officially supported in Hong Kong.

Anthropic has explicitly stated that Claude is not officially supported in Hong Kong, and a U.S. export control directive in June required the company to suspend foreign nationals' access to its newest models. While the company temporarily disabled systems globally at that time, the ongoing regional restrictions mean that tools readily available elsewhere can disappear overnight for local users. This evolving landscape of AI access raises concerns about Hong Kong's future in a world where technology is increasingly intertwined with international relations.

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For local employees, the reasoning matters less than the effect: tools treated as routine elsewhere can disappear overnight.