# Z.ai founders in 2018‑2021 CGTRI, MI5 says CGTRI had very strong ties to China’s spy agency

Digest AI · Policy & Regulation · published 2026-10-20T11:35:03Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/z-ai-founders-in-20182021-cgtri-mi5-says-cgtri-had-very-strong-ties-to

## Summary

Four founders of Z.AI Co., a Chinese artificial‑intelligence startup described as one of the country’s most promising AI firms, took part in a research project that ran from 2018 to 2021. The project was co‑funded by the China‑U.K. Technology Research Initiative (CGTRI).

Britain’s domestic security service, MI5, has said CGTRI has very strong ties to China’s main spy agency. The agency’s comment links the funding body to Chinese intelligence, raising questions about the security implications of the collaboration. No response from Z.AI Co. or CGTRI was included in the report.

## Key points

- Four Z.AI Co. founders participated in a research project from 2018 to 2021.
- The project was co‑funded by CGTRI, which MI5 says has very strong ties to China’s main spy agency.
- Z.AI Co. is described as one of China’s most promising artificial‑intelligence companies.

## Why it matters

The allegation ties a UK‑backed research initiative to Chinese intelligence, potentially prompting policy reviews of cross‑border AI collaborations.

## Sources

1. [Four Z.ai founders participated in a 2018 to 2021 research project co-funded by CGTRI, which the UK's MI5 said had "very strong ties" to China's main spy agency](https://bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-19/z-ai-founders-worked-on-research-funded-by-china-institute-uk-tied-to-spies?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc5MjQ1MTMzNCwiZXhwIjoxNzkzMDU2MTM0LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUTUxFQ0RLSkg2VjgwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIzNzFCRTgwQ0Q5RkE0NDU0OTdFQkU2NzI0NURDMDg4QSJ9.dXDvRdK8ysRYiIyeESwFQdgvip-fNHBbT61lJBZyzNc) (bloomberg.com, 2026-10-20)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Z.ai founders in 2018‑2021 CGTRI, MI5 says CGTRI had very strong ties to China’s spy agency", 20 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/z-ai-founders-in-20182021-cgtri-mi5-says-cgtri-had-very-strong-ties-to

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