Top executives at leading Western AI companies are increasingly warning about the safety and national security risks posed by Chinese open-weight frontier models. What they tend not to mention is that these models are improving rapidly and, because they are freely available, pose a serious threat to Western labs’ business models.
The most powerful models from U.S. labs such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind are closed, meaning the parameters that shape their outputs are kept secret.
It’s not about profit, it’s about control.
Yes, for many users ai is just an inaccurate summary generator. Or if your job involves creating pointless bullshit reports (as most do) you can save some time - big fucking deal, for sure.
But as a tool of power and control they are brutally useful. Llms can replace the search engine and the site - google, wikipedia and reddit controlled by the same gatekeeper. Want information disappeared? Way easier.
They’re also the best way elites have to weaponize vast resources in the information age. Being able to instantly create and automate thousands of fake social media accounts to argue down your opponents is now a power the rich have - they don’t have to buy those shills and keep them happy and active the old fashioned way.
Saying llms are not useful is like telling a lord their castle is a waste of stone and labour. It’s literally power, and they know it.