BOSTON: World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency venture backed by US President Donald Trump and his family, is working with Hong Kong-based WorldClaw, an AI platform that provides access to models developed by both US and Chinese technology companies. A Reuters review found that 43 of the 90 models available through WorldClaw were developed by Chinese firms including Alibaba, Baidu and Z.ai, some of which face US government restrictions over national security concerns.
WorldClaw accepts World Liberty’s USD1 stablecoin as a payment option. The Trump family owns a 38% stake in World Liberty and can benefit financially from activity involving its crypto tokens, although Reuters said it could not determine how much the family has earned specifically through WorldClaw.
The partnership has raised questions because the Trump administration has taken a tough position on several Chinese technology companies. Baidu and Alibaba have been designated by the US Defense Department as Chinese military-linked companies, while Z.ai is on the Commerce Department’s Entity List, which places strict controls on US technology exports to the company.
WorldClaw also offers AI models from major US companies, including OpenAI and Anthropic. The company says it is independently owned and operated and argues that providing access to a model does not mean it endorses the company that developed it. World Liberty has similarly described WorldClaw as an independent business.
Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, have publicly promoted WorldClaw, while World Liberty executive Ryan Fang has served as an adviser to the company. The White House has rejected suggestions of a conflict of interest, saying Trump acts in the best interests of the American public.
Experts have also raised concerns about potential security risks linked to Chinese AI models, including data monitoring, censorship and possible malicious activity involving AI agents. WorldClaw said it takes privacy and security seriously and has safeguards in place.
The development comes as Washington and Beijing continue to compete over artificial intelligence and technology. The growing use of Chinese AI models in global markets is adding to the debate over national security, data protection and the future of the US-China technology race.
