Chinese AI Models and the High-Stakes Fight for AI Neutrality
The global uptake of Chinese large language models carries significant security and political implications, writes Marie Lamensch, the global affairs officer at the Montreal Institute for Global Security. She notes that tools trained in a tightly regulated authoritarian environment could subtly reshape information ecosystems worldwide through “structurally embedded biases” that emphasize “state sovereignty, national unity, historical grievances and geopolitical stability.” These concerns come as Chinese open-weight models such as DeepSeek rapidly gain global market share, challenging U.S. dominance and raising questions about how AI competition intersects with governance, human rights and the future resilience of democratic public discourse.
