Beff Jezos Proposes Tariffs On Chinese Open Source AI Models
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I agree with Dean's assessment that we are in a tough spot when it comes to competing with CCP-subsidized open source models. I don't agree that vaguely increasing regulatory risk for OSS AI is the way. IMO Chinese token tariffs >> Regulatory uncertainty for OSS AI
Ok memes, aside, I do think Dean points out a predicament we are in. He's not wrong that if there is no way to privatize some of the gains from model making, the rate of AI capex growth will inevitably slow down. China is trying to squeeze our capitalist system with this tactic. I do not think a soft regulatory risk increase around OSS is the way to go. I do think adding "import tariffs" on Chinese open source models is a much better hammer. That is, for any business running Chinese models as a service, they are taxed per token at a rate depending on model capability equivalent market price. This both protects American frontier closed labs' margins that they can reinvest in capex *and* gives an advantage to local US and allies open source models. TL;DR - Chinese token tariffs >> Regulatory uncertainty for OSS AI
The tariff revenues should then be invested into the big and little tech companies with favorable terms to fund their capex. Some could be through debt some mechanisms through equity. This would give citizens automatic skin in the game too. This is the way to beat China IMO