The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has warned that Venezuela, which the USA took over in January 2026, is continuing plans to adopt advanced Chinese AI surveillance systems. This is problematic because it means the United States now effectively controls a country that relies on Chinese surveillance technology to maintain power, whilst simultaneously trying to increase its own influence in Venezuelan affairs. The situation raises questions about whether Venezuela's citizens will actually see improvements in governance and freedoms under US stewardship.

Venezuela built its surveillance state over a decade ago using Chinese technology, and in 2025 then vice-president Delcy Rodríguez—who was subsequently installed as leader by the USA—negotiated an agreement to adopt Chinese-built large language model (LLM) AI systems to enhance this existing apparatus. One of the companies involved is iFlytek, which the US banned in 2019 for its role in suppressing the Uyghur Muslim population in China's Xinjiang region. ASPI analysts believe Venezuela could become the most advanced adopter of China's new generation of surveillance AI systems outside China and in the Western Hemisphere, potentially strengthening the government's ability to suppress dissent and restrict information.