Alibaba Bans Claude Code: Security Concerns & Own AI Push

Alibaba Group will ban its employees from using Anthropic's programming assistant, Claude Code, starting July 10. The company considers Claude Code high-risk software. Instead, staff will use Alibaba's own internally developed tool called Qoder. Here's the thing: Anthropic, the U.S. AI company, already restricts Chinese entities from accessing its models. Some Chinese users found ways around these blocks, and Anthropic reportedly worked to close these loopholes. An Anthropic employee mentioned an experiment launched in March to prevent unauthorized use and protect against "distillation," where AI models are trained on others' outputs without permission. This move highlights growing tensions in the global AI industry, especially concerning access to advanced models and intellectual property. For Alibaba, it also promotes its own AI ecosystem. This development shows the increasing fragmentation of the AI market along geopolitical lines.