AI's'Sputnik moment'?Competition makes technology grow,not bans 人工智能的“斯普特尼克时刻”？竞争促进技术发展，而非禁令 By Jessica Durdu 作者：杰西卡·杜杜（Jié sī kǎ·Dù dú） In recent months,the technology sector has witnessed a significant shift with politicians talking more about securitized(securitized/ˈsɪkjʊrɪtaɪzd/adj.安全化的)core technological developments than engineers.First the Huawei case,and then TikTok proved the one-sided U.S.targeting of basically anything Chinese. 近几个月来，科技行业见证了一个显著的转变，政客们更多地谈论的是核心技术发展的安全化，而不是工程师。首先是华为（Huá wéi）案，然后是TikTok证明了美国对中国一切事物的单方面针对。 The U.S.ban on TikTok–currently on hold–has failed to prevent American users from flocking(flocking/ˈflɒkɪŋ/v.蜂拥而至)to other Chinese-developed applications.When TikTok's fate hung in balance(in balance/ɪn ˈbæləns/悬而未决),another Chinese app,RedNote,surged in popularity,quickly becoming a preferred alternative for content creation and sharing. 美国对TikTok的禁令——目前暂停——未能阻止美国用户转向其他中国开发的应用程序。当TikTok的命运悬而未决时，另一款中国应用程序RedNote迅速流行起来，迅速成为内容创作和分享的首选替代品。 This trend underscores(underscores/ˌʌndəˈskɔːrz/v.突显)a critical paradox(paradox/ˈpærədɒks/n.悖论):While American consumers choose Chinese tech for its superior performance,the U.S.government continues to frame successful Chinese technology companies as existential threats(existential threats/ˌɛɡzɪˈstɛnʃəl θret/生存威胁)rather than as competitors in a globalized market. 这一趋势突显了一个关键的悖论：尽管美国消费者因其卓越的性能选择中国技术，但美国政府仍然将成功的中国科技公司视为生存威胁，而不是全球化市场中的竞争对手。 Now the discussions are driven by the breakthroughs from Chinese artificial intelligence(AI)company DeepSeek.The new development not only highlights China's growing AI capabilities(capabilities/ˌkæpəˈbɪlɪtiz/n.能力)but also raises questions about the effectiveness and fairness of U.S.sanctions(sanctions/ˈsæŋkʃənz/n.制裁)aimed at restricting China's technological advancement. 现在，讨论由来自中国人工智能（AI）公司DeepSeek的突破推动。这一新发展不仅突显了中国日益增长的人工智能能力，还引发了关于美国旨在限制中国技术进步的制裁的有效性和公平性的问题。 If history is any indication,restrictive measures rarely curb(curb/kɜːrb/v.抑制)innovation;instead,they force it to evolve in unexpected ways.The emergence(emergence/ɪˈmɜːrdʒəns/n.出现)of the new AI model is a testament(testament/ˈtestəmənt/n.证明)to that. 如果历史有任何指示，限制性措施很少抑制创新；相反，它们迫使其以意想不到的方式发展。新人工智能模型的出现就是证明。 One of the most remarkable AI developments of 2025 has been the launch of DeepSeek-R1,an open-source reasoning language model that rivals(rivals/ˈraɪvəlz/v.与...匹敌)OpenAI's ChatGPT models.DeepSeek-R1 has achieved performance on par(on par/ɒn pɑːr/同等的)with OpenAI's oil in complex tasks such as mathematics,coding and logical reasoning. 2025年最显著的人工智能发展之一是DeepSeek-R1的推出，这是一个开源推理语言模型，与OpenAI的ChatGPT模型相媲美。DeepSeek-R1在数学、编程和逻辑推理等复杂任务中表现出与OpenAI的油（yóu）相当的性能。 What makes this model even more disruptive(disruptive/dɪsˈrʌptɪv/adj.颠覆性的)is its cost efficiency.It is reportedly 20 to 50 times cheaper to operate than its American counterpart(counterpart/ˈkaʊntərpɑːrt/n.对应物),significantly lowering barriers to AI adoption worldwide,especially for underdeveloped or developing countries. 使这个模型更具颠覆性的是其成本效率。据报道，其运营成本比美国同类产品便宜20到50倍，大大降低了全球范围内人工智能采用的障碍，特别是对欠发达或发展中国家。 The impact was immediate.Following its launch,DeepSeek's chatbot application became the most downloaded app on Apple's App Store,outpacing all competitors.This,in turn,triggered a historic reaction in financial markets. 影响是立竿见影的。推出后，DeepSeek的聊天机器人应用程序成为苹果应用商店下载量最高的应用程序，超过了所有竞争对手。这反过来又引发了金融市场的历史性反应。 Tech stocks,particularly those of AI hardware providers such as Nvidia,experienced a sharp 17 percent sell-off,with Nvidia losing an astonishing(astonishing/əˈstɒnɪʃɪŋ/adj.惊人的)600 billion in market value in a single day.Many in the industry have called this event"AI's Sputnik moment." 科技股，特别是像英伟达（Nvidia）这样的人工智能硬件提供商，经历了17%的大幅抛售，英伟达在一天内市值损失了惊人的6000亿美元。业内许多人将这一事件称为“人工智能的斯普特尼克时刻”。 What makes this development even more striking(striking/ˈstraɪkɪŋ/adj.引人注目的)is that it happened despite the stringent(stringent/ˈstrɪndʒənt/adj.严格的)U.S.chip sanctions on China,designed to slow down China's AI progress by cutting off access to high-end semiconductor technology.However,rather than stalling innovation,these restrictions have incentivized(incentivized/ɪnˈsɛntɪvaɪzd/v.激励)Chinese companies to develop alternative,cost-effective solutions. 这一发展更引人注目的是，尽管美国对中国实施了严格的芯片制裁，旨在通过切断高端半导体技术的获取来减缓中国人工智能的进步，但它仍然发生了。然而，这些限制并没有阻碍创新，反而激励了中国公司开发替代的、具有成本效益的解决方案。 The case of DeepSeek-R1 suggests that not only is China successfully adapting,but it may be redefining the efficiency paradigm(paradigm/ˈpærədaɪm/n.范式)in AI development altogether. DeepSeek-R1的案例表明，中国不仅成功地适应了，而且可能正在彻底重新定义人工智能开发中的效率范式。 The U.S.has long positioned itself as the champion of free markets,open competition and laissez-faire(laissez-faire/ˌleɪˈzeɪ ˈfɛr/n.放任主义)economics.Yet,recent actions suggest a stronger shift towards protectionism(protectionism/prəˈtekʃənɪzəm/n.保护主义)that doesn't help the situation.The fundamental question arises:Will the U.S.sanction any foreign company that outperforms its American counterparts rather than foster(foster/ˈfɒstər/v.促进)domestic innovation?If so,how does that align with the principles of an open economy?In a true free market system,competition should drive innovation,not government-imposed barriers. 美国长期以来一直将自己定位为自由市场、开放竞争和放任经济的倡导者。然而，最近的行动表明，转向保护主义的趋势更强，这无助于情况。一个基本问题出现了：美国是否会对任何表现优于其美国同行的外国公司实施制裁，而不是促进国内创新？如果是这样，这如何与开放经济的原则保持一致？在一个真正的自由市场体系中，竞争应该推动创新，而不是政府强加的障碍。 History offers an interesting contrast. 历史提供了一个有趣的对比。 contrast/ˈkɒntræst/n.对比 In the early 20th century,the automobile industry was revolutionized by the American company Ford.Before Henry Ford introduced the Model T,German manufacturers were at the forefront of automobile production.However,Ford's innovation in mass production made cars more affordable and widely accessible in the 1900s,ultimately positioning the U.S.as a leader in the automotive sector at that time. 在20世纪初，美国福特公司（Ford）彻底改变了汽车行业。在亨利·福特（Henry Ford）推出T型车之前，德国制造商处于汽车生产的前沿（forefront）。然而，福特在大规模生产中的创新使汽车在20世纪初更加实惠和广泛可及，最终使美国成为当时汽车行业的领导者。 revolutionized/ˌrevəˈluːʃənaɪzd/v.彻底改变 forefront/ˈfɔːfrʌnt/n.前沿 automotive/ˈɔːtəməʊtɪv/adj.汽车的 But no country imposed sanctions to prevent Ford from producing cheaper and better vehicles,no country saw Ford cars as a national security threat.Germans did not try to ban any Ford car.Instead,competitors had to adapt,innovate and improve their own manufacturing processes.The result:The entire industry advanced,benefiting consumers and economies worldwide. 但没有哪个国家对福特施加制裁（sanctions）以阻止其生产更便宜更好的汽车，也没有哪个国家将福特汽车视为国家安全威胁。德国人没有试图禁止任何福特汽车。相反，竞争对手必须适应、创新并改进自己的制造工艺。结果：整个行业进步，使全球消费者和经济受益。 sanctions/ˈsæŋkʃənz/n.制裁 benefit/ˈbenɪfɪt/v.受益 Fast forward to 2025,we find ourselves in a paradoxical situation.Instead of embracing competition,the U.S.is attempting to stifle it through sanctions and restrictions.Have we reached a point where geopolitical rivalry takes precedence over technological progress and market competition? 快进到2025年，我们发现自己处于一个矛盾的情况。美国没有拥抱竞争，而是试图通过制裁和限制来扼杀它。我们是否已经到了地缘政治竞争优先于技术进步和市场竞争的地步？ paradoxical/ˌpærəˈdɒksɪkəl/adj.矛盾的 stifle/ˈstaɪfl/v.扼杀 geopolitical/ˌdʒiːoʊpəˈlɪtɪkəl/adj.地缘政治的 rivalry/ˈraɪvəlri/n.竞争 The rapid advancements in AI technology should serve as a wake-up call for the global community. 人工智能技术的快速发展应该成为全球社会的警钟。 advancements/ədˈvænsmənts/n.发展 wake-up call警钟 AI has the potential to transform industries,economies and societies,but only if it is developed collaboratively rather than used as a tool for geopolitical maneuvering. 人工智能有潜力改变行业、经济和社会，但只有在它被协作开发而不是用作地缘政治操纵的工具时。 transform/trænsˈfɔːrm/v.改变 collaboratively/kəˈlæbərətɪvli/adv.协作地 maneuvering/məˈnuːvərɪŋ/n.操纵 That is also why Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized the need for global AI governance,proposing the United Nations establish a global AI governance body and to ensure that AI development is inclusive and beneficial to all,leaving nobody behind. 这也是为什么中国外交部长王毅（Wáng Yì）强调全球人工智能治理的必要性，提议联合国建立一个全球人工智能治理机构，并确保人工智能的发展是包容性的，对所有人都有益，不让任何人掉队。 governance/ˈɡʌvənəns/n.治理 inclusive/ɪnˈkluːsɪv/adj.包容的 The logic behind this proposal is clear:Technology should not be monopolized by any one nation.Instead,it should be shared,regulated and advanced collectively to prevent disparities in access and innovation. 这一提议背后的逻辑是明确的：技术不应被任何一个国家垄断。相反，它应该被共享、监管和集体推进，以防止获取和创新方面的差异。 monopolized/məˈnɒpəlaɪzd/v.垄断 disparities/dɪˈspærɪti/n.差异 The success of DeepSeek and RedNote should not be viewed as a threat to the U.S.technology sector or to national security;rather,it should serve as motivation to innovate.If the U.S.is concerned about losing its competitive edge,the solution is not to impose restrictions but to encourage American engineers,researchers and entrepreneurs to develop superior technology. DeepSeek和RedNote的成功不应被视为对美国科技行业或国家安全的威胁；相反，它应该成为创新的动力。如果美国担心失去其竞争优势，解决方案不是施加限制，而是鼓励美国工程师、研究人员和企业家开发更先进的技术。 threat/θret/n.威胁 motivation/ˌmoʊtɪˈveɪʃən/n.动力 entrepreneurs/ˌɒntrəprəˈnɜːrz/n.企业家 At the end of the day,technology evolves through competition,not isolation.If a company produces a better,cheaper and more efficient AI model,it is natural that consumers will choose it–regardless of its country of origin.The role of policymakers should be to create an environment where innovation flourishes,rather than artificially maintain dominance through protectionist measures. 归根结底，技术是通过竞争而不是孤立发展的。如果一家公司生产出更好、更便宜、更高效的人工智能模型，消费者自然会选择它——无论其原产国如何。政策制定者的作用应该是创造一个创新蓬勃发展的环境，而不是通过保护主义措施人为地维持主导地位。 evolves/ɪˈvɒlvz/v.发展 isolation/ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/n.孤立 efficient/ɪˈfɪʃnt/adj.高效的 flourishes/ˈflʌrɪʃɪz/v.繁荣 artificially/ˌɑːrtɪˈfɪʃəli/adv.人为地 protectionist/prəˈtekʃənɪst/adj.保护主义的 The world stands at a critical juncture.Will we embrace competition and progress,or will we allow political considerations to hinder technological advancements?The answer will shape the future of AI,not just for one nation,but for humanity as a whole. 世界正处于一个关键时刻。我们将拥抱竞争和进步，还是允许政治考虑阻碍技术进步？答案将塑造人工智能的未来，不仅为一个国家，而是为整个人类。 juncture/ˈdʒʌŋktʃər/n.关键时刻 hinder/ˈhɪndər/v.阻碍