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by solenoid0937 32 days ago
What are the PRC's values?

How are individual freedoms in China?

What happens if you criticize the government as a Chinese citizen?

Is it a good thing if a government that turns its citizens into red pulp for criticism, or disappears them in the middle of the night, or bans access to most media, is the first to a godlike superintelligence that gives them de-facto control of (and impose their values upon) the whole world?

Or is it better if democratic nations get there first?

If the latter, which democratic nations are best positioned to get to superintelligence before China?
2 comments
orbital-decay 32 days ago
Can you substitute PRC/China for Anthropic and try answering your questions?
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solenoid0937 32 days ago
No company will own superintelligence. Governments will, just like governments own nuclear weapons (developed by companies).

So the comparison is with the US, not Anthropic.

The US doesn't turn its citizens into a fine red purée for criticizing it.

The US doesn't censor most media.

It is strictly better for a democratic nation like the US to get to superintelligence before a country that will gladly blend its citizens for criticizing it, and censor anything that dares to challenge its power.

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backscratches 31 days ago
The US has not been a democracy for over a decade at least, and this is common knowledge. I find it hard to believe anyone's ignorance is so brazen. Regardless of the sincerity of your ignorance, the fact that the US is not a democracy undermines your premise.

https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746

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solenoid0937 31 days ago
That is nitpicking.

The AI race is between China and the US. When super intelligence arrives it will be due to one of these two countries, since the EU has not participated in any meaningful way.

The US is clearly more of a democracy than China with a better human rights track record. For one, I can actually Watch most media in US without censorship. For another, the US does not force me to eat my own feces, rape, torture, and murder me if I become a human rights lawyer, or send me to a concentration if I criticize the government.

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dakolli 31 days ago
Are you living in a cave? The US just sent someone to prison for 30 years for passing out political magazines at a protest.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jun/...

The US has a larger prison population than China. The US does not have a great human rights record.. Have you not been following what's going on at CBS? Have you never used X?

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solenoid0937 31 days ago
> The US just sent someone to prison for 30 years for passing out political magazines at a protest.

You are grossly misinformed if you think this is comparable. Do you know what China does to their human rights lawyers!? They get shipped off to concentration camps, get forced to eat their own shit, raped, tortured, and/or killed.

57k people disappeared since 2013, 5-15k more every year, and no one dares to criticize the government anymore.

If you criticize the government you get a friendly "visit" from the police. Do it again and you spend 6 months in prison without trial; again, and you're "disappeared" (to the same camps.)

You cannot even watch most media unless the government lets you.

If you truly think these countries are remotely comparable in human rights, your liberal arts education has totally and utterly failed you! Spend some time outside of the tech bubble for your own sake.

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skywhopper 31 days ago
Democratic nations, at the behest of their billionaire patrons, are rapidly pursuing China’s approach to governance.
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JohnnyMarcone 30 days ago
We still have elections and things can change. China would require a violent revolution to change governments.
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nonethewiser 31 days ago
That's not exactly an endorsement of China's approach to governance now is it?
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