NeurIPS, one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence conferences, has reversed a controversial policy that would have banned research papers from entities under U.S. sanctions, following strong backlash from China.

The policy, initially introduced earlier in the week, aimed to expand restrictions beyond the U.S. Treasury’s sanctions list. It triggered immediate criticism, particularly from China Association for Science and Technology, which announced a boycott and halted funding support for members planning to attend the conference.

NeurIPS later stated that the broader restriction had been issued in error due to a miscommunication with its legal team. The organization clarified that submission limits would apply only to entities listed under the U.S. Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, not all sanctioned organizations.

The conference issued a public apology, acknowledging the disruption caused within the global research community. The incident underscores growing tensions between the United States and China in the field of artificial intelligence, where academic collaboration is increasingly influenced by geopolitical factors.

NeurIPS remains a key global platform where researchers, companies and experts present peer-reviewed AI research and discuss technological advances each year.