Does the country of origin of an AI model influence your decision to even begin evaluating it? At what point do geopolitical risks, associated with the origin of an AI model, outweigh the potential benefits, making the model effectively unusable for your organization?

It is a must be, we can't ignore it at all.

While geopolitical factors can drive extreme caution, it's always critical to consider the source of the technology and where it's operating. As Malachi mentioned, it's about the security and safety of your data. Understanding who you partner with and what they might do with your data is crucial. You need to assess the probability that they are being truthful about their data practices. Take Facebook, for example. Several years ago, news stories revealed that they were providing or selling data to third-parties. This wasn't necessarily a geopolitical issue but rather a question of trustworthiness. It's essential to evaluate how ethical or trustworthy the business holding your data is.

Absolutely, the country of origin plays a significant role, primarily due to security concerns and the protection of our intellectual property. In today's landscape, security is paramount. We live in a world where attacks are constant, and it's more about gauging the level of threat we're under at any given time. We're highly defensive and proactive in our approach. certain countries are common sources of attacks in our space, so we definitely factor that into our evaluations. For instance, I wouldn't even consider using DeepSeek unless Amazon could guarantee that it operates as a private copy exclusive to us, with no ability to send our data outside. 

That's a valid point. Legal frameworks are often shaped by cultural beliefs and societal norms. On a technical level, if we ever reach the point of having an AGI model, it could potentially adapt to the cultural and legal contexts of different countries. This adaptability could help mitigate some of the geopolitical risks associated with AI models.

For me, legal considerations often outweigh cultural or geopolitical ones. Copyright laws, for instance, vary in enforcement across regions like the EU, U.S., and China. It's crucial to consider how these laws impact the use of open-source models. What data is being fed into these models, and how is it being used? Is it for broad training or specific to your organization? These legal implications are more significant than the model's country of origin.