The next China shock will come from open-source AI

An FT op-ed argues that China's open-source LLMs are repeating the playbook of its manufacturing boom—turning tech into a commodity at ultra-low cost and eroding Western pricing power. It names DeepSeek and Alibaba's Qwen series as key examples, noting their open-source strategy builds ecosystems fast while US firms stay closed-source and capex-heavy. The post doesn't cite specific market share or enterprise adoption figures, so treat this as a directional argument.

Why it matters: FT op-ed frames Chinese open-source AI as a replay of the manufacturing shock — a catchy angle, but the body lacks hard data, making it more of a directional warning. H and R hit, K is missing evidence, landing right at the featured threshold.