By Trent Trepanier
January 20th saw the release of Deepseek-R1 to the public, an open source artificial intelligence (AI) model. It offers a similar level of performance as established alternatives such as Meta, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Google but at a fraction of the cost, according to Reuters. Its release sent shockwaves through the tech world, and between January 24-27th Nvidia lost $500 billion while the Nasdaq, the stock exchange for American tech companies, lost $2 trillion. This is significant because the new model was developed by the company Deepseek which is based in Hangzhou, China. It also came shortly after American President Donald Trump announced Project Stargate, an initiative to invest $500 billion in AI infrastructure in the United States by 2029 in an attempt to dominate the AI landscape. What is clear from this release and announcement is one terrible fact: the real driver regulating AI development is not the global interest of humanity but the specific national security and economic interests of the world’s two strongest states.
While we fully support the United Nations General Assembly passing Resolution A/78/L.49 last year, it is crucial to build upon this. The planet and its inhabitants cannot afford to leave AI development in the hands of those merely seeking to increase their power at the expense of others. That is why our Survival Bill proposes two things: citizens’ control of AI regulation and a global treaty to universalize principles for AI development. The first can be had via a citizens’ assembly dedicated to the regulation of AI. In such a way we can ensure democratic values and the interests of all the world’s peoples will be at the forefront of AI governance. Second, this assembly will be tasked with drafting a treaty which will enshrine AI regulation and governance into the architecture of existing international law.
These proposals will likely only come about with a Secretary-General committed to such a vision. We, therefore, ask you to support our campaign to make our co-founder, Colombe Cahen-Salvador, the next United Nations Secretary-General. Such a victory will require as many people as possible advocating for change, the kind of change which can make our planet a true home free from the demands of scarcity and divisive interests. These changes are possible and this fact is why we keep fighting. We ask that you join us in this fight.
Photo: Getty Images