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Weapon or armour? The contentious debate over China’s open-weight AI

Weapon or armour? The contentious debate over China’s open-weight AI
South China Morning Post Monday 26 October 2026, 02:00 UTC By Chong Ming Lee 1 min read
Key Points

Are China’s increasingly powerful open-weight AI models a cybersecurity threat, or could restricting them ultimately make the internet less secure? The dilemma has become a growing concern as Chinese developers including DeepSeek, Z.ai and Alibaba Group Holding – owner of the South China Morning Post – continue to challenge their American rivals by releasing models that anyone can download, modify and deploy. The growing impact of advanced AI on global cybersecurity has also forced...

Are China’s increasingly powerful open-weight AI models a cybersecurity threat, or could restricting them ultimately make the internet less secure? The dilemma has become a growing concern as Chinese developers including DeepSeek, Z.ai and Alibaba Group Holding – owner of the South China Morning Post – continue to challenge their American rivals by releasing models that anyone can download, modify and deploy. The growing impact of advanced AI on global cybersecurity has also forced governments... [Image text:] yuOuOuGuOuGuOuu y00110000001003001000 0001 1001000010000100000 01000100101010010001060u 0001 106000000000000300u 000010010100103010100010u 10100- .000. 003010u 1000- u01 0001" 001u UGU .000 100u u010u U010 G0GvUG010s 6000101 101010 0101010 0100001000001000u n-000.0-0-0n 10UU0000610 UUU 10u0s0u0uGu06 00100 .010100100 u0000101 00s 01000u0u 000101600000u.-00. -.0001010100uuu 0001000010010001000u0u001 -000100101008 .01000. 1010
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