House Committees Launch Investigation Into DoorDash's Use of Chinese AI Models

Summary

House Select Committee on China and House Committee on Homeland Security have launched a joint investigation into DoorDash's integration of Chinese open-weight artificial intelligence models, citing national security, cybersecurity, and economic security concerns. The investigation, which began with inquiries to Anysphere and Airbnb in April 2026, seeks to understand why U.S. companies are adopting Chinese-developed AI models despite potential risks.

According to the committees' letter to DoorDash CEO Tony Xu, Chinese open-weight models are attractive to companies because they offer competitive capabilities, lower costs, greater customization, and reduce dependence on a limited number of proprietary U.S. providers. However, the committees argue that these practical advantages do not eliminate the national security risks, particularly because open-weight models lack safeguards and can be customized by bad actors for malicious purposes.

The committees are calling for a comprehensive U.S. strategy to strengthen American open-weight AI alternatives and make them sufficiently available, secure, and competitive so that U.S. companies are not forced to choose between expensive U.S. models and Chinese alternatives. They also advocate for appropriately tailored safeguards in sensitive and high-risk applications.

• Chinese AI development efforts, including model distillation and IP theft, underscore the growing national security threat posed by Chinese AI capabilities