Why Britain should reject the lure of cheap – and scary – Chinese AI
Source: The Guardian ·
In the west the technology comes with at least some effort to provide security and a benign intent – not so from ChinaThere is much to fear from artificial intelligence developed in China and handed to businesses and governments in the west almost free of charge.Every month Chinese AI developers such as DeepSeek and Xiaomi dispatch the latest versions of their “open-weight” models that allow…
From the source
There is much to fear from artificial intelligence developed in China and handed to businesses and governments in the west almost free of charge. Every month Chinese AI developers such as DeepSeek and Xiaomi dispatch the latest versions of their “open-weight” models that allow users to take the core software and use it without paying an expensive ongoing licence. In Britain, we love cheap Chinese kit, usually setting aside any concerns about how it was made and who by. The row over whether to allow Chinese electric cars unfettered access to British retail forecourts is a case in point. They are cheaper than other EVs sold in the UK and, consumers ask: What is not to like? These same consumers might consider how Chinese EVs are subsidised by Beijing deliberately to boost exports and, in so doing, undermine foreign domestic car industries. Cheap AI takes this export threat to a higher level. It’s scary because Beijing is entering a new phase in the long march of economic development,…