China’s open source AI models have been making the news lately for their strong performance on various AI tasks such as coding and ‘reasoning.’
However, they have also attracted criticism – including from OpenAI employees – for censoring topics sensitive to the Chinese government, such as the Tiananmen Square massacre.
HuggingFace’s CEO Clement Delangue says he has similar concerns. In a recent podcast (in French), he warned about the unintended consequences of Western companies building on top of well-performing, open source Chinese AI.
“If you create a chatbot and ask it a question about Tiananmen, well, it’s not going to respond to you the same way as if it was a system developed in France or the US,” Delangue warned.
Delangue noted that if a country like China “becomes by far the strongest on AI, they will be capable of spreading certain cultural aspects that perhaps the Western world wouldn’t want to see spread.”
Delangue has previously stated that Chinese AI is quickly catching up to Western AI thanks to its embrace of the open source movement.
Delangue warned on the podcast that the strong concentration of top open source models coming from China is a “fairly new development and I’m a little worried about it to be honest,” he said. “It’s important that AI is distributed between all countries – that there isn’t one or two countries which are much stronger than the others.”
HuggingFace is the world’s biggest platform for AI models and a popular place for Chinese AI companies to showcase their latest LLMs. In fact, HuggingFace’s CTO announced this week that the default model on HuggingChat is Qwen2.5-72B-Instruct, which was developed by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.
This particular model does not appear to censor questions about the Tiananmen Square massacre or other issues typically censored by the Chinese government.
A different model from Alibaba’s Qwen family available on HuggingChat, QwQ-32B, however, clearly does when TC asked:
DeepSeek, another Chinese model which went viral in the AI community for its reasoning capabilities, also extensively censors topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese government, TechCrunch previously reported.
Chinese AI companies are in a tough spot as the Chinese government forces their models to “embody core socialist values” and comply with its already-extensive censorship system.
A HuggingFace spokesperson declined further comment but pointed out that Delangue recently predicted China would start to lead the global AI race in 2025.
Retail Crypto Usage: A Persistent Trend
Despite the regulatory crackdown, Cambodia remains among the top 20 countries for retail crypto usage. Centralized exchanges handle a substantial 70% of all crypto transactions in the country. This shows the strong interest and participation of retail users in the cryptocurrency space. However, the presence of fraud and criminal misuse of digital currencies remains a major concern.Regulatory Challenges and Divergent Approaches
Out of numerous exchanges, only two firms have managed to obtain operating licenses under the Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia's (SERC) "FinTech Regulatory Sandbox" program launched in 2022. The gap between SERC's progressive stance and the National Bank of Cambodia's (NBC) more conservative approach to digital assets creates a complex regulatory environment. This divergence poses challenges in formulating a unified and effective regulatory framework.Binance's Role in the Regulatory Landscape
Binance, one of the affected platforms, has actively engaged with SERC to contribute to the shaping of a regulatory framework. A spokesperson from Binance stated, "We are closely monitoring the evolving situation and are committed to complying with relevant regulations." Despite the blocking of its websites, its mobile apps continue to function, highlighting the limitations of the restrictions. This shows the need for a balanced approach that considers both the interests of the market and the need for regulation.Cryptocurrency Fraudulent Activities: A Growing Problem
Cryptocurrency-related fraud has come under intense scrutiny in Cambodia. The Huione Pay platform case, where over $49 billion in transactions were allegedly linked to scams across Southeast Asia, is a prime example. Criminal groups are using digital currencies for dark-web payments, exacerbating the problem. The UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has emphasized the need for more robust measures to combat these fraudulent activities. Despite the regulatory efforts, Cambodia's enthusiasm for crypto among retail users shows no signs of diminishing, indicating a disconnect between regulatory ambitions and market realities.Anticipation of New SEC Leadership
The price action of XRP over the last seven days, with an 87% increase and hitting new one-month and one-year highs, can be attributed to the anticipation of new leadership at the SEC. This financial institution has frequently clashed with Ripple in the past. A potential change in leadership could result in less or no government resistance for XRP and other cryptos, minimizing risks for investors.Investors are closely watching these developments as they could have a significant impact on the future of XRP. The possibility of a more favorable regulatory environment gives hope for the continued growth of the cryptocurrency.
Ripple's partnerships with financial institutions also play a crucial role. These partnerships are seen as a key driver behind the increase in XRP's price. As more financial institutions align with Ripple, it boosts confidence in the cryptocurrency and attracts more investors.
XRP ETFs and Investor Excitement
The filing of several XRP ETFs has sparked excitement among investors. It presents more opportunities for them to gain exposure to XRP and brings the cryptocurrency into the spotlight.With the potential for larger attention and more investment options, XRP is attracting a wider range of investors. This increased interest is reflected in the rising price of the cryptocurrency.
Despite hitting new one-year highs of $2.86 in the last 24 hours and being up over 280% year-to-date, XRP still has some way to go to reach its all-time high of $3.84 set back in January 2018. However, the continuous strength of the cryptocurrency and the potential approval of ETFs give hope for a higher price in the future.
2018 Ripple Community Event and Snoop Dogg's Appearance
In 2018, Ripple held a community event at the three-day Consensus conference. Snoop Dogg was booked as the entertainer and performer for the Ripple community.His performance at a private invitation-only Consensus after-party from Ripple Labs on May 15, 2018, attracted media attention. Although he did not talk about investing in cryptocurrency during the performance, the event was a celebration for the XRP community.
Celebrities endorsing cryptocurrencies are not new, but Snoop Dogg's appearance may have been a significant moment. It sparked interest among some investors who saw it as a sign of optimism for the XRP token.
Investing in XRP
Investors who learned about XRP through Snoop Dogg's appearance at the Ripple event may have considered buying the cryptocurrency.For example, a $1,000 investment at the high price of $0.7523 on May 15, 2018, could have bought 1,329.26 XRP. As of now, with a price of $2.58, that $1,000 investment would be worth $3,429.49, representing a 242.9% increase.
XRP's continued popularity and potential for growth make it an attractive investment option. As it remains one of the most talked-about cryptocurrencies in recent months, its future looks promising.