Comment by vrganj
21 hours ago
Let me quote the big guy himself:
> First, we should adhere to the principle of openness and win-win and boost innovation-driven development. As a new engine of world economic growth and an accelerator for the shift of growth drivers, AI is moving from the digital world into the physical world. We should seize this rare, historic opportunity to encourage open source, openness, collaboration and sharing. We should facilitate technological innovation, industrial development and scenario-based application of AI. We should make coordinated advances in the transformation and upgrade of traditional industries, the cultivation and growth of emerging industries and forward-looking planning for future industries, so that all sectors and businesses can benefit from AI
-- Keynote speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping at opening ceremony of 2026 World AI Conference
http://english.scio.gov.cn/topnews/2026-07/18/content_118605...
As a socialist myself, the above comment looks like a prime example of what Mark Fisher would call capitalist realism, the ideological belief that there is no alternative. The fact that somebody would think past quarterly earnings appears unthinkable to the committed ideologue.
They wouldn't give away R&D for free, they would give it away to destroy the capitalist mode of production, as outlined above. If that isn't a worthy goal from China's perspective, then I don't know what would be.
China isn't the US. They don't share the same ideology, strategy or conclusions.
As for the export controls, they explicitly exempt already-open models and set up an automated streamlined process for future ones.
> As for the export controls, they explicitly exempt already-open models
Well... obviously. What the fuck is the point of export controlling an already open model.
> for future ones
Nope. >2T models (i.e todays frontier) is explicitly not allowed.
Also see: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-proposes-ad...
> China isn't the US. They don't share the same ideology, strategy or conclusions.
Money and power know no ideology. They do pretty much the exact same things as the US as well (from a 3rd country's POV). They expand territory, they capture industries, etc, etc, etc,.
> Keynote speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping
Do you take the same literal interpretations of other politicians' speeches? Surely you know thats politicking, the same way every G2/G7 leader says they want a collaborative world blah blah but it's naive to not know that it is cutthroat competition in reality.
> they would give it away to destroy the capitalist mode of production
Well, I won't take that dream away from you, but you're gonna be disappointed in this particular case, in our lifetime, with this particular country, atleast :)
> Nope. >2T models (i.e todays frontier) is explicitly not allowed.
> Also see: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-proposes-ad...
At least that link doesn't seem to have any such info? It does however have this sentence:
> It said most AI technologies would remain freely exportable, with simplified licensing for open-source technology exports
> Money and power know no ideology
Techies really have a hard time understanding ideology and it deeply distorts their world view with assumptions that everyone is like them. This has gotten them in hot water with the EU many a time, this will cause them to underestimate the systemic challenge China is mounting. This pseudo-realism is the most ideological statement one could make. Let me cart out some quotes by noted ideology theorist Slavoj Zizek once again:
> I already am eating from the trashcan all the time. The name of this trashcan is ideology. The material force of ideology - makes me not see what I'm effectively eating. It's not only our reality which enslaves us. The tragedy of our predicament - when we are within ideology, is that - when we think that we escape it into our dreams - at that point we are within ideology.
Here's another relevant one:
> “Ideology is strong exactly because it is no longer experienced as ideology… we feel free because we lack the very language to articulate our unfreedom.”
Point being, "that is just how the world works" is just a projection of how one's own ideology works.
> Do you take the same literal interpretations of other politicians' speeches?
I don't take literal interpretations of anyone's speeches, it's always a combination of word and deed. Open models are getting released.
> Well, I won't take that dream away from you, but you're gonna be disappointed in this particular case, in our lifetime, with this particular country, atleast :)
Capitalism is ending either way, once capital is fully unmoored from labor. The only question left is whether control over these new productive forces will be concentrated in the hands of a few companies or owned by the public.