A key developer from the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek has warned that the dominance of the American AI company Anthropic over advanced AI is akin to Adolf Hitler acquiring nuclear weapons technology first. This statement follows recent comments by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who advocated for a slowdown in AI development and called for tighter controls on advanced AI technology in relation to China.
Liu Shengyu, a core developer of DeepSeek V4.1, expressed his concerns in a lengthy post on the social media platform WeChat on September 14, stating, "Advanced AI should be made available to everyone in an open and affordable manner," and he does not believe that Anthropic or OpenAI can achieve this.
He emphasized, "I particularly do not want Anthropic to dominate advanced AI or artificial general intelligence (AGI). To exaggerate, Anthropic's control over advanced AI is like Hitler securing nuclear bomb technology before the Allies."
Liu further noted that the future of AI could lead to two extreme scenarios: one that liberates productivity through communism, and another where a few tech companies monopolize resources, making social mobility more difficult, reminiscent of the dystopian world depicted in the game 'Cyberpunk 2077.' In this game, advanced technology exists, but wealth and power are concentrated in a few corporations.
He added that DeepSeek's mission to develop powerful, fast, and accessible AI and to release it as open-source could help steer the world away from the direction of 'Cyberpunk 2077.'
Liu's remarks come amid ongoing debates about AI safety intertwined with the U.S.-China AI technology competition. Amodei had previously argued on September 12 that the pace of AI development should be slowed to allow safety measures to catch up. He warned that if China surpasses the U.S. in AI, it could pose a significant threat to both the U.S. and the world, urging for continued export restrictions on advanced AI semiconductors and equipment to China.
In response, the Chinese government quickly rebuffed these claims. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated, "Fostering fear and engaging in confrontation and malicious competition will only create chaos in global AI governance," emphasizing the need for international cooperation in the AI sector. The state-run Global Times also criticized Amodei's proposal as a 'Cold War-style approach' aimed at stifling China's AI development.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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