In the large language models, the censorship axe scrutinizes chatbot responses to “adapt” them to “core socialist values.” The use of Hugging Face, a popular open-source platform used by AI developers around the world to share models and data sets, is also blocked. And despite the large number of indigenous algorithms developed, doubts are emerging in China’s own high-tech sector about the effectiveness of the so-called “war of the hundred models.”
Milan (/Agencies) – Some twenty years after the introduction of the “Great Firewall”, the system for monitoring foreign websites deemed sensitive, the unyielding gaze of Chinese censorship has also turned to artificial intelligence (AI). In ways that clash with the horizon of cooperation on this new technological frontier, which has been repeatedly discussed in recent days on the occasion of the visit to China of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
After blocking access to international AI platforms such as ChatGpt, now it is the Large Language Models (LLM) developed by large Chinese technology companies and start-ups, such as ByteDance -owner of TikTok-, Alibaba, Moonshot and 0.1AI, that are in the spotlight.
According to him Financial Timesthe Chinese government’s goal would be to ensure that these advanced technological tools capable of understanding and processing natural language embody “core socialist values.” To fulfill this request, officials at the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the government agency in charge of overseeing and regulating the Internet in the country, must examine the responses provided by the LLMs to a series of questions, many of which relate to Chinese President Xi Jinping and political or historical issues considered controversial by the ruling regime.
Chinese chatbots whose LLMs have passed the test will, for example, be able to reject any user questions about the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre or Xi Jinping’s resemblance to Winnie the Pooh, the Disney character with whom he is often ironically associated. To such queries, Baidu’s Ernie chatbot already responds by asking “try another question,” while Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen replies: “I haven’t learned how to answer this question yet. I will continue to study to serve you better.”
Meanwhile, Beijing has launched a chatbot artificial intelligence based almost exclusively on Xi Jinping’s thoughts, with the aim of spreading the Chinese leader’s ideology.
According to The Wall Street JournalBeijing’s censorship also threatens to further restrict Chinese tech companies’ access to training data — the “foundation” on which AI systems are built from textual sources of all kinds. Already last year, Chinese authorities suddenly denied access to Hugging Face, a popular open-source platform used by AI developers around the world to share models and datasets.
The Chinese government is reportedly planning to create its own datasets based on information deemed ideologically “safe,” with the support of agencies close to the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party. However, according to industry experts, heavily censored datasets could cause distortions in AI models, limiting their ability to perform certain tasks.
It is therefore clear that by applying these restrictions, China – the first nation to introduce binding regulations on the use of AI – risks undermining the enormous progress made by Chinese companies in the sector, which currently dominate the international scene.
China has now developed about 130 LLMs, or 40% of existing models, only 10% less than those produced by the United States. Fierce competition among Chinese high-tech giants such as Baidu, Alibaba, Huawei and Tencent has even triggered the so-called “War of the Hundred Models” (Bai mu dazhan), an expression that for many recalls the glorious revolutionary past of the People’s Republic and, in particular, the “hundred regiments offensive” (Baituan Dazhan), carried out in 1940 by the Eighth Street Army commanded by General Peng Dehuai against the Japanese invaders.
While the formula, coined by a top Tencent executive, was initially used by state media to praise the successes of Chinese companies in the booming AI market, some technology experts are beginning to question the effectiveness of this approach.
Among the skeptics is Baidu co-founder and CEO Robin Li Yanhong, who said during a speech at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai in early July that the proliferation of LLMs in the Chinese market has led to “a considerable waste of resources” as many of these models have no practical application in the real world.
They also undermine the competitiveness of Chinese technology companies. geopolitical issuessuch as the current technological war between the Dragon and the United States. In fact, the American authorities have banned China from buying high-quality semiconductors manufactured by the American giant Nvidia, considered crucial for the creation of artificial intelligence models.
Although the Wall Street Journal Although a smuggling ring was discovered that smuggled restricted chips from Southeast Asia into China, there will never be enough to meet the country’s needs. Taking a long-term view, the Chinese government has decided to make up for this shortfall by allocating state funds to help Chinese technology companies develop domestic chips. Despite the difficulty in obtaining the necessary equipment to manufacture them due to US sanctions, the Chinese mobile giant Huawei seems to be close to launching a chip model that can replace Nvidia’s.
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