Goldman Sachs has blocked its Hong Kong-based bankers from accessing Anthropic's Claude AI models, reflecting growing tensions around artificial intelligence in the US-China relationship. Wall Street employees in the Chinese territory can no longer use Claude directly or through internal platforms, a change implemented several weeks ago according to sources familiar with the situation.

The restriction stems from Goldman's strict interpretation of its contract with Anthropic, which follows concerns about "distillation" where local actors might train new models using advanced foreign AI. While Western AI services face bans in mainland China, Hong Kong has maintained fewer restrictions until now, making this move particularly notable.

This development challenges Hong Kong's position as a financial and knowledge hub, particularly as professionals who rely on Claude for coding and financial modeling risk falling behind competitors. The bank's decision highlights how geopolitical tensions are increasingly impacting technology access in global financial centers, potentially affecting productivity and innovation.