The End of Anti-Corruption is Algorithms: Can AI Resolve Xi Jinping's Loyalty Crisis?

Illustration: Intense infighting within Xi Jinping’s central leadership and the military. (Image by People News)

[People News] Recently, the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Communist Party of China published a sensational anti-corruption announcement: Xu Huaqin, the deputy secretary-general of the Jiangsu provincial government, is under investigation for serious violations of discipline and law, has voluntarily surrendered, is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervisory investigation.

The dramatic twist is encapsulated in the phrase 'voluntarily surrendered.' While it is not uncommon for corrupt officials to surrender in hopes of leniency when faced with pressure, Xu Huaqin's case is particularly dramatic, earning it the title of a unique script. In a matter of hours, he transitioned from a senior official to the main suspect in a case, marking the most ironic and shocking reversal of his life.

Xu Huaqin was initially tasked with assisting the Jiangsu Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection in installing the newly developed AI investigation system by the CCDI. Ironically, this provincial official was the very 'subject under supervision' identified by the Commission. Perhaps feeling guilty or driven by a counter-surveillance mentality, after the system was installed, Xu Huaqin secretly entered his own ID number and attempted a test run.

This keystroke seemed inconsequential, but what followed left him 'dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning.' All of his and his immediate family's banking transactions, account exchanges, risky trades, abnormal data associations, potential benefits transfers, and even expenses paid to his mistress—all private data—were displayed on the screen in full view. In that moment, all his psychological defenses crumbled. He spent the night tossing and turning, unable to sleep, and the next morning, he voluntarily surrendered to the authorities.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is leveraging AI investigation software to enhance its digital anti-corruption initiatives, and Xu Huaqin is not the first individual to fall under the scrutiny of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). Earlier this year, in January, the CCDI's anti-corruption documentary titled "Unstoppable Steps, No Retreat" showcased a case where "Zhejiang used AI to uncover corrupt officials." The individual involved, Feng Jiang, was the head of the financing and construction department at the State-owned Assets Management Service Center in Jiangshan City, Zhejiang. He handled numerous engineering bidding processes and engaged in various corrupt practices, including embezzlement and extortion. Believing that his secretive transactions were flawless, he was ultimately exposed by AI technology. Feng Jiang could never have imagined that while he evaded the CCDI's manual screening, he would be undone by AI's big data analysis.

Xu Huaqin presents a distinctly different narrative with an entirely different underlying logic. He made a swift transition between his dual roles, shifting from the Deputy Secretary-General of the provincial government to a voluntarily confessing individual. This decision was made after thorough consideration, making calculated moves, and preemptively admitting guilt in hopes of receiving a more lenient sentence. This incident is considered a milestone in the CCDI's anti-corruption efforts. The CCDI, Xinhua News Agency, and party media celebrated this development, praising AI for its innovative role in driving significant changes in anti-corruption work and marking a new beginning in the fight against corruption in this century.

The question arises: Is Xu Huaqin truly repenting to the Party and the nation? Have the corrupt officials, who have been consistently corrupt, suddenly found their conscience? The answer is clearly no. What has led individuals like Xu Huaqin to capitulate is not the moral teachings of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping's top directives, Li Xi's thematic reports, or the official documents from the provincial party committee. Instead, it is the abnormal data chains and risk assessments produced by AI that have instilled fear in corrupt officials and compelled their surrender. The driving force behind the anti-corruption efforts is algorithms, not the gang-like family rules of the Communist Party or the disregard for the spirit of the rule of law embodied in the laws of the People's Republic of China.

It cannot be denied that AI-driven anti-corruption will indeed bring new dynamics and political variables. In the past, the CCP relied on so-called public reporting, inspections, audits, petition clues, or case connections to investigate corruption. Ironically, the CCP’s anti-corruption drive once thrived thanks to thieves committing crimes or mistresses filing reports—especially “mistress anti-corruption.” The mistresses kept by CCP officials effectively became unofficial “case handlers” for the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, sparking public debate and online ridicule. Today’s AI investigations, in essence, move the detection of case-related data earlier. Through big data networking, they screen the full-chain information of specific targets, including property records, bank transactions, business registrations, tax audits, bidding data, relatives’ companies and equity accounts, consumption records, and every income, expenditure, and transfer. By identifying correlations between datasets and locking onto abnormal patterns, AI creates precise data profiles of corruption chains. In terms of efficiency, cost, and accuracy, AI far surpasses manual investigations.

But the real core issue is that corruption in the CCP has never been purely a technical problem—it is a systemic one. Technology can detect subtleties, improve efficiency, and integrate data, but it cannot replace the institutional soil that breeds corruption. It cannot solve the problem of unchecked and unrestrained power, nor can it touch entrenched privileges or the top leadership core. It cannot achieve impartial, across-the-board anti-corruption enforcement.

If anti-corruption were merely a technical issue, and one solution could eliminate all corrupt officials, then the CCP would have long implemented the official asset disclosure system it once loudly promoted but now dares not showcase. This system is both the Achilles’ heel of corrupt officials and a structural flaw of the CCP system. Power should operate under sunlight, and asset information should also be exposed to scrutiny to prevent corruption from breeding. Today, even Vietnam—once seen as a “younger communist brother”—has implemented asset disclosure for officials, while the CCP, the so-called “big brother,” avoids the issue entirely, shelving the system and suppressing any discussion of it.

Now to the key point: what is Xi Jinping’s true purpose in vigorously promoting AI anti-corruption? The CCP’s anti-corruption campaign is like swatting flies around a cesspit—the more you swat, the more appear. At its core, it reflects power struggles and reshuffling of personnel. For Xi Jinping personally, anti-corruption is a sharp blade in his hand, used to pierce the hearts of officials across sectors and to dig out tumors of political disloyalty.

From Wang Qishan to Zhao Leji to Li Xi, these anti-corruption “czars,” after exhausting their loyalty, have been cut down one by one by Xi himself—he trims their influence and removes their wings, fearing they might grow too powerful and pose a threat. This extends far beyond the disciplinary system. Even Xi’s own long-standing loyal networks—the so-called “Xi family army”—have not been spared: from the near annihilation of Rocket Force leadership, to the purge of the 31st Army, to the reshuffling of Organization Department head Li Ganjie, to reports of Zhang Youxia’s arrest, to the downfall of Ma Xingrui from the “first lady’s faction.” Now, even Chen Xi, who metaphorically “slept in the bunk above Xi,” is rumored to have been demoted. In Xi’s eyes, the court is filled with conspirators and double-faced figures. Loyalty is rarer than oxygen on the plateau. The more power and loyal followers one has, the more Xi suspects threats against himself. His suspicion deepens, his strikes grow harsher, and in a storm of indiscriminate attacks, the dictator gains a fleeting sense of reassurance amid widespread fear. This terrifying balance of authoritarian power is quietly eroding the CCP’s political foundations and its so-called Great Wall.

Du Wen, a former insider from Inner Mongolia, revealed in a YouTube program that a mid-level military officer who frequently contacted him was suddenly placed under investigation and isolation this February. The reason: Xi Jinping launched a sweeping AI-based screening across the military, from lieutenants to generals. Anyone with direct or indirect connections to Zhang Youxia was subjected to review, interrogation, and forced confession. If a person merely had Zhang’s phone number in their mobile contacts, they could be isolated and investigated. Anyone with even the slightest link to Zhang’s military network would be flagged by AI, placed on a blacklist, and targeted for investigation. The atmosphere within the military is now one of extreme tension—everyone feels at risk. It sounds terrifying, but this is reportedly the reality within the CCP’s armed forces.

AI has the capability to analyze data, identify correlations, and target objectives. It can detect any suspicious activities, broaden the scope of enforcement, and enhance the efficiency of anti-corruption efforts. However, AI is unable to decipher the loyalty enigma surrounding Xi Jinping and cannot address the political trust crisis faced by his administration. Loyalty cannot be purchased with money, and fear cannot substitute for trust. With the 21st National Congress of the Communist Party of China on the horizon, a new wave of power struggles is already unfolding.

(First published by People News) △