Summary of Key Points
Recently, the United States urgently banned two AI models, Claude Mythos5 and Fable5, developed by Anthropic, on grounds of national security. These models are capable of efficiently identifying system vulnerabilities and coordinating attack chains, akin to “digital nuclear weapons,” thereby changing the dynamics of cyberattacks and defenses. Previously, AI was merely a tool for enhancing efficiency; now, it has become a strategic weapon in geopolitical contests. This development serves as a wake-up call for Chinese companies: without equivalent AI security capabilities, we could fall into a situation of “one-way transparency”—where others can use AI to find our vulnerabilities, but we cannot see theirs.
China’s approach to overcoming this challenge does not lie in competing for the largest computing power; instead, it focuses on using “swarm intelligence” (a collective effort of multiple AI systems working together) to bridge the gap. Ultimately, a national-level digital security foundation must be established, ensuring that all数字化 enterprises become part of the defense mechanism.
I. AI Turns Cyberattacks and Defenses into an “Industrialized Assembly Line”
In the past, finding vulnerabilities was like making clothes by hand: it required top experts spending months to discover a high-quality flaw, with such flaws potentially selling for millions on the black market. With AI, this process has become much more efficient:
- Time compression: What used to take days or weeks of analysis can now be completed in hours by AI.
- Cost reduction: No longer dependent on a few experts, automated verification is possible with AI models and computing power.
- Lower threshold: Ordinary teams can also use AI tools to find vulnerabilities.
For example, the Mythos model can identify critical flaws in open-source systems and link them into attack chains. This means that attackers can “produce” vulnerabilities in bulk, significantly increasing the pressure on defenders if they still rely on manual checks.
II. The Risk of “One-Way Transparency”: Chinese Companies May Become Targets
Why did the U.S. act so quickly to ban these models? Because they realize that AI can scan all systems at low cost, and the deeper the digitization, the more vulnerable systems become. As a result, they formed the Glasswing alliance (including Google and Apple) to use Mythos to assess their own critical infrastructure. However, Chinese companies are not part of this alliance, which poses a problem:
- Others can use AI to identify our vulnerabilities in advance (such as weaknesses in government or financial systems), while we lack the corresponding capabilities.
- Many companies think that cybersecurity is solely the responsibility of large corporations, but now AI scans all systems indiscriminately—any small flaw in the cloud services, open-source software, or office tools could be used as a foothold for larger attacks. If Chinese companies are all vulnerable targets, the entire digital foundation will be at risk.
III. Overcoming the Challenge: Using “Swarm Intelligence” to Bridge the Gap
While the U.S. has advantages in large models and chips, China cannot simply compete on parameters and computing power. Vulnerability detection should not rely on a single “superbrain”; instead, it should follow the example of bees working together:
- Different AI systems can be tasked with modeling threats, verifying vulnerabilities, and handling risks.
For instance, one system could identify system weaknesses, another verify whether they are exploitable, and a third block the vulnerabilities. This approach transforms what was once a skill-based task into a repeatable engineering process, leveraging China’s practical experience and contextual advantages to compensate for the shortcomings of individual models.
IV. Security Operations: Moving from “Man-Made Tactics” to “Autonomous Defense”
In the past, security relied on manual processes: alerts from systems were followed by human intervention. Now, we need to move towards autonomous defense:
- AI can automatically scan all systems for potential attack paths.
- Each encounter with attackers becomes an opportunity to learn and improve system capabilities.
This is the key to building a robust Chinese security foundation: not only must we identify issues, but we must also be able to respond and evolve continuously, just like in autonomous driving.
V. Building a National-Level Digital Security Foundation: Every Company Is a Part of the Defense
The Glasswing alliance in the U.S. is an example of self-protection by insiders. China needs a similar collaborative defense network:
- It’s not just about security companies or large organizations; every数字化 enterprise plays a role—by protecting its own systems, it strengthens the entire foundation.
- Diverse capabilities (such as vulnerability data from different companies and attack-defense experiences) should be integrated to form a coordinated defense network, similar to the Avengers Alliance.
The goal is not confrontation but to maintain our digital infrastructure in the AI era. Those who can organize these dispersed resources will gain the upper hand.
Conclusion: AI has transformed security from passive defense into active competition. Chinese companies cannot wait; they must establish their own AI security capabilities as soon as possible, from collaborative intelligence systems to a national-level foundation. Every step is crucial for our digital future. In the AI era, security is not a matter of choice but a matter of survival.