Paris – Artificial intelligence, superchips and cyber warfare may be reshaping modern espionage, but some secrets are still won the old-fashioned way: through sex and scandal.

The latest controversy to ripple through the tech world centers on Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and his affair with a woman accused by Washington of working for Chinese intelligence, a claim Beijing denies.

The episode has thrust the “honey trap” back into the spotlight, reviving interest in an age-old spying tactic that turns attraction and intimacy into tools for stealing state secrets and influencing those in power.