Collin Hogue-Spears.

An independent researcher and author focused on AI governance, China's regulatory system, and the political economy of technology.

His work draws on Chinese-language regulatory texts, corporate filings, and technical documentation to explain how AI systems are built, governed, and deployed in practice.

He studied Mandarin at Shanghai International Studies University and later worked in Shanghai as a senior business analyst at Merkle. At Amazon Web Services, he coordinated with Chinese government auditors on MLPS cloud compliance, giving him direct experience with China's regulatory environment. He has also written on China and Southeast Asia political economy for the Foreign Policy Association Blogs.

He currently leads federal compliance and product strategy at an enterprise application-security company, where his work spans U.S. federal authorization programs and European regulatory regimes, including DORA and the EU AI Act. His commentary on cybersecurity, AI, and regulatory divergence has been cited in the Wall Street Journal, Politico, CIO, and Dark Reading.

His first book, From Lab to Life: How AI Works in China, is forthcoming from Gatekeeper Press in August 4, 2026.

"Hogue-Spears... bases his findings on company disclosures, peer-reviewed technical papers, regulatory texts and other first-hand Chinese materials."

★ Starred Review · BlueInk Review

"This well-researched book leans heavily on Hogue-Spears's familiarity with Chinese-language regulatory texts."

Kirkus Reviews