Key Points
- China’s open-source AI tools outperform Western models at lower costs.
- The Belt and Road Initiative and Digital Silk Road spread Chinese AI globally.
- China’s $1.4 trillion tech plan targets global AI dominance by 2030. Beijing’s strategy mirrors Huawei’s 5G dominance tactics.
- U.S. regulatory focus hampers competitiveness against China’s AI push.
A pro-tech advocacy group, American Edge Project, has issued a report highlighting the growing dangers posed by China’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology and its open-source strategy. The report warns that China’s rapid advancements in AI, coupled with its global initiatives, threaten the national and economic security of the United States while promoting values aligned with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
China’s open-source AI tools reportedly outperform Western counterparts in critical benchmarks at significantly lower costs, facilitating their widespread global adoption. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its Digital Silk Road (DSR) have become vehicles for exporting Chinese technology to over 155 countries, embedding CCP values into global infrastructure and undermining democratic norms. The report claims these AI models censor historical events, minimize human rights abuses, and suppress criticism of Chinese leadership.
China’s $1.4 trillion plan to dominate global technology by 2030 is central to its strategy. Open-source systems form the cornerstone of this vision, as Beijing aggressively promotes free or low-cost AI alternatives. By doing so, China ensures its systems integrate into key global industries such as finance, manufacturing, and communications. This approach mirrors China’s approach to 5G technology, where Huawei gained dominance through aggressive pricing and rapid deployment before Western nations could effectively respond.
The report contrasts China’s relentless push to globalize AI technology with the United States’ regulatory focus. While the U.S. and Europe prioritize AI regulation, China is flooding markets with open-source models, such as Alibaba Cloud’s release of over 100 models in 29 languages. The report emphasizes the urgency for the U.S. to maintain AI leadership, warning against unilateral restrictions on AI exports and advocating proactive policies to secure global dominance in both open- and closed-source AI systems.
Doug Kelly, CEO of the American Edge Project, cautions that losing the AI race to China would allow authoritarian systems to shape the future. The report concludes that unchecked proliferation of Beijing-built AI ecosystems would undermine international agreements and pose significant threats to global stability.
