The United States government says it will limit the export of certain types of artificial intelligence software that’s used to analyze images from satellites in order to keep it out of the hands of foreign rivals such as China.

Reuters said the ban, which goes into effect Monday, relates to a 2018 law known as the Export Control Reform Act that requires the government look into how it can restrict the export of new technologies it deems “essential to the national security” of the U.S.

The scope of the ban is rather narrow, at least for now. It applies specifically to software that uses neural networks, a component of machine learning, to discover “points of interest” in geospatial images created by satellites. For example, software that can identify houses or vehicles. Furthermore, the ban only applies to software that has a graphical user interface.

Machine learning is extremely helpful in analyzing geospatial images. Satellite photos tend to create huge amounts of data, and AI software can flag items of interest far more quickly than human observers. In Australia, for example, firefighters regularly analyze satellite images to monitor the spread of wildfires and try to stay one step ahead.

But the same kind of software can be used for military purposes too, and that’s what worries the U.S. government. One example is a program called Sentient, which is currently being developed by the U.S. and is designed to highlight anomalies in satellite photos that could indicate troop formations or weapons sites. Sentient works by flagging any anomalies it finds for more detailed human analysis.

Constellation Research Inc. analyst Holger Mueller told SiliconANGLE he was glad the U.S. was announcing the ban, saying that future conflicts will most likely be decided by AI even before boots are on the ground.

“It’s no surprise the U.S. wants to watch the technology and limit its export and distribution,” Mueller said. “At the end of the day efficiency of the ban will the be the key test, but the West has a history of this. Long-term observers will remember the Intel 80386 export ban to Warsaw Pact countries, which was introduced for very similar reasons.”

According to Reuters, U.S. firms that sell this kind of software will now have to apply for a special export license to continue dealing with foreign customers.

This isn’t the first time the U.S. government has imposed restrictions on AI software. Previously, it banned American companies from doing any kind of business with Chinese firms that make hardware or software relating to AI surveillance.

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