"One thing I don't like about (Chinese artificial intelligence) is that it is completely open source, meaning it is largely uncontrolled. We have no way of controlling it in any way." - Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, in an interview last month which has recently gone viral on the internet.
At a meeting held by the US think tank 'Special Competitiveness Research Project' in May, Schmidt discussed the AI competition between the United States and China. He stated that during his tenure on the US Artificial Intelligence National Security Commission, the US implemented strict chip hardware controls against China. "We were quite successful at that time, and I personally strongly supported this policy."
"But now, it's starting to fail." Schmitt said, "Chinese people are very smart," they built an AI system very close to top-tier US models with hardware not as advanced as American counterparts.
Schmidt said that a year ago he believed the gap between Chinese AI and American models would be within one or two years. However, latest analysis shows that China is only behind by six months, which is a negligible “nanosecond” in the world of AI.
He continued, “What I like is that we finally have a real competitor. What I don’t like is that it’s completely open-source, which means it’s largely uncontrollable, and we have no way to control it in any way.”
In May, Schmidt spoke at an AI conference hosted by the US think tank "Special Competitiveness Research Project". Video screenshot
This is not the first time Schmidt has discussed the 'Chinese AI threat'. Although his more well-known identity is that he was the former CEO of Google and a billionaire in the United States, he has actually had significant influence in American politics over the past decade. By exploiting the 'Chinese threat' theory in various contexts, he has lobbied Congress and the White House to increase investment in areas such as artificial intelligence and 5G.
American tech media outlet 'Protocol' reported several years ago that Schmidt used his political and business connections through 'revolving doors' to engage in cronyism. During his tenure as a member of the Defense Innovation Advisory Board and the Artificial Intelligence National Security Commission, he secured high-value contracts for several companies he invested in.
This interview, in which Schmidt’s true intentions were exposed, has also been uncovered by foreign netizens and shared on various social media platforms for ridicule. On June 21, a netizen reposted a video on the social media platform X, writing that Schmidt had finally spoken his mind: “Everything has to do with hegemony: The ideal scenario is for AI to be controlled by the United States—the fewer countries that can resist such control, the better.”
Another netizen replied in the comment section that he had been following this matter. He said, "American elites want to control the world and establish a global tyranny disguised as free democracy. What role does Europe play in this? Are they just accomplices or even tenants? And what about Israel? Who exactly is controlling who?"
There are people who openly state that "American oligarchs hate open-source software from China because they will be unable to charge monopolistic prices."
Many netizens not only saw through the hypocrisy of these so-called American elites, but also praised China for 'standing up against the Western world'. On the American social news website Reddit, a user posted on the 21st that this was why he always used China's open-source large model DeepSeek, rather than other non-open-source models.
Another netizen said on the 22nd, "In my opinion, Western open-source communities have long been controlled by the elite and intelligence agencies. They have changed significantly. Only China is still fighting for open-source, but the West cannot tolerate this."
Some netizens commented, "Fortunately, the United States has created its biggest rival through its own actions. Just imagine what would happen if China did not develop artificial intelligence, and the United States monopolized the AI field..."
At present, it seems that China and the United States are taking different paths in the field of AI. An article published by Foreign Policy on the 21st stated that the United States is striving to develop general artificial intelligence and create AI that surpasses the human brain. China, on the other hand, is building efficient and scalable AI capabilities, which are being integrated into the economies and public lives around the world.
The article argues that although the two tracks will eventually intersect, China is focusing on cutting-edge research and development to prepare for this intersection, while Washington has not actively promoted the widespread implementation of its technology. For the United States to win in the AI race, it must not only focus on technology but also promote the global adoption of its AI technology stack. Without a corresponding strategy for implementation and popularization, the U.S.'s technological lead will continue to decline.
Text: Lai Jiaqi Editor: Guo Guanghao Reviewer: Guo Guanghao
