East Asian Legal Studies Talk:

Curtis J. Milhaupt
William F. Baxter-Visa International Professor of Law
Stanford Law School
Senior Fellow, by courtesy, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

Professor Milhaupt will discuss “Networked State Capital in China’s AI Ecosystem,” his current joint project with Liwen Lin, Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, Allard School of Law.

Self-reliance and technological resilience in artificial intelligence are national priorities of the Chinese party-state. Yet most of the key players in China’s AI ecosystem – including major platform and technology groups designated by the government as members of the “AI National Team” as well as AI unicorns – remain privately controlled at the apex of their corporate groups. If AI is a strategic priority, why are many of the leading players not subject to apex-level state ownership and hierarchical administrative control traditionally associated with Chinese state capitalism?

Using corporate registry data, the article maps where state-affiliated capital enters otherwise private technology groups and AI unicorns. The analysis shows that state capital is positioned at multiple points within AI ownership, investment, and deployment networks, typically in subsidiaries below the apex. Some of these positions create durable channels through which the development of technology, pilot projects, standard setting, and deployment can be coordinated with policy priorities.

The article conceptualizes China’s approach to state capitalism in the AI sector as a networked system of state capital and institutionalized state-private encounters rather than a binary divide between state-owned and private firms.

Curtis J. Milhaupt is an internationally recognized expert on comparative corporate governance, the legal systems of East Asia (particularly Japanese law), and state capitalism.

A light lunch will be served. Please register here. Registration is not required but appreciated, for planning purposes.

A Harvard ID is required in order to enter Harvard Law School buildings. If you have questions, please contact [email protected] in advance of the event.

Co-sponsored by the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.

Tuesday, November 3, 2026 12:20-1:20pm

WCC 3019 (Wasserstein Hall, 3rd Floor), Harvard Law School