[scotty79]

I wouldn't bet on it. Chinese live the free market ideals instead of just preaching them but rent-seeking and seeking regulatory capture at the first opportunity. In China business doesn't control politics. Dynamics is completely different and so might be the outcomes.

[Havoc]

Well I do hope you're right - that's a brighter future for all

[hedora]

Even if not, the Europeans are a few more months behind. LLMs are commoditizing.

[Havoc]

True - if all else fails there is mistral. Really hope the EU ensures they keep chugging along even if it does take taxpayer money

[klibertp]

The fact that politics controls businesses there might lead to, but doesn't necessarily ensure, a "brighter future". It's pretty common knowledge that authoritarian regimes can, especially in extreme, disastrous situations on a large enough scale, function better than less centralized and more open organizations. The problem is that there's less resistance to directing that effectiveness toward something that will make at least some people's futures much darker.

Then again, just because business controls politics doesn't mean there's much more decentralization or openness, either. In the end, the main advantage of this model was predictability - sure, we have an "inner circle" that forces its policies in both cases, but the businesses are at least predictable in their decision making, always chasing profit, based on hard numbers, unlike the other side chasing whatever flavor of ideology they believe in (or want to sell) this month... Wait. I just recalled "colonies on Mars" and "metaverse," and the cognitive dissonance made me blank out for a sec here.

In any case: while the Chinese model seems to have some upsides, especially compared to the current situation in a few other places on the globe, I don't believe it has a significantly higher chance of helping us achieve a "brighter future". I may be depressed, but in virtually every scenario from this point, I can only see a bleak future ahead of us. Getting to AGI under current conditions makes for completely unpredictable societal and political chaos, yet not getting there (and fast) risks the bubble bursting (causing, of course, unpredictable economic and, by extension, societal and political chaos). The longer the current situation persists, the lower the probability of finding an off-ramp that won't upend everybody's and their dog's lives. Yet, there is no incentive to back off from the race either.

I really wonder what's next - what kind of poop will finally hit the fan, and when exactly?