Researcher slams 'sovereign AI' model launch as marketing, says self-hosting Kimi beats it
eliebakouch · x · 2026-10-29
Researcher Elie Bakouch posted a two-part critique of a 'sovereign AI' model release, calling everything around the launch — including the benchmark — 'marketing bullshit': 'you didn't want to provoke the X community, you just have no idea how to do a proper model release.'
His argument: waving the sovereignty flag (1) discredits companies genuinely working on sovereignty, a topic he believes is critical and growing; (2) confuses the public about what serious sovereignty actually requires. His concrete alternative: hosting the open-weights Kimi K3.1 Pro in an EU datacenter — likely a better model and more real sovereignty.
More from Companies & People
- Amplitude Founder Recalls Paul Graham Advising Him a Decade After YC: 'They Can't Help but Care' — ycombinator · 2026-10-29
- Run Lola Run Director Tom Tykwer Now Shooting Films With Seedance, 'Directability' Is the New Moat — LinusEkenstam · 2026-10-29
- Erica Brescia is bullish on Anthropic, but open-weight models could crush its margins — VraserX · 2026-10-29
- STAT investigation: Epic's grip on hospital data picks winners in health AI — sarahbmyers · 2026-10-29
- Sen. Warren presses Anthropic CEO on catastrophic AI risks ahead of planned record IPO — wfithian · 2026-10-29
- Alex Karp on AI fear marketing: 'Far better to be feared than loved' — beffjezos · 2026-10-29