The whole confusion expressed by this article is resolved by refusing the "arms race" framing. Chinese AI labs are acting really normal for researchers. Researchers in academia collaborate and share breakthroughs. This was until very recently the norm in American ML/AI research as well. The hawk-brained reasoning that this is some kind of "fate of the world" style arms race is as far as I can tell a narrative entirely pushed by American megacorps (and their cultural orbiters) who want to hold on to a business model of proprietary control of technology at all costs, and this is lapped up by political actors who clearly mostly just want to keep public perception in a cold war framing, which also seems mostly in the interest of consolidating power through the classic FUD method. If we think of this as normal research and development on a normal technology, it makes a lot more sense. I already see little reason to use proprietary models, but these companies insisting that they're in a war about which their supposed opponents have not seemingly gotten that memo makes me want to do so even less.
advael · · focus · HN ↗