Why Britain should reject the lure of cheap – and scary – Chinese AI
News Source
•Sat, 17 Oct 2026 15:00:33 GMT
📰 What Happened
Britain should reject cheap AI from China, argues Guardian columnist Phillip Inman. He points to Chinese firms such as DeepSeek and Xiaomi, which release free "open-weight" models every month. Users can download the core software and run it without paying a licence fee.
The column says the low price hides risks. A US government lab found political censorship built into DeepSeek models, even when run on a user's own servers. DeepSeek's privacy policy also says it stores data in China and can share it with Chinese authorities.
🔍 The Backstory
Inman compares AI to Chinese electric cars, which cost less than rivals partly because Beijing subsidises them. He says that kind of export push can damage car industries abroad, and that AI takes the same threat further.
He also says US models carry risks, but come with more work on security. His answer is for Britain to back home-grown and European AI and to push US firms to do better, rather than chase the cheapest option.
🎯 Why It Matters
Cheap AI tools are already used by schools and businesses, so this choice affects privacy, security and which tech firms survive.
Britain should reject cheap AI from China, argues Guardian columnist Phillip Inman. He points to Chinese firms such as DeepSeek and Xiaomi, which release free "open-weight" models every month. Users can download the core software and run it without paying a licence fee.
The column says the low price hides risks. A US government lab found political censorship built into DeepSeek models, even when run on a user's own servers. DeepSeek's privacy policy also says it stores data in China and can share it with Chinese authorities.
Inman compares AI to Chinese electric cars, which cost less than rivals partly because Beijing subsidises them. He says that kind of export push can damage car industries abroad, and that AI takes the same threat further.
He also says US models carry risks, but come with more work on security. His answer is for Britain to back home-grown and European AI and to push US firms to do better, rather than chase the cheapest option.
Cheap AI tools are already used by schools and businesses, so this choice affects privacy, security and which tech firms survive.