Open-Source AI & Open Models Reading List
Interconnects publishes a curated open-model reading list covering release strategy, US-China competition, adoption data, and a narrowed 4-6 month open-closed frontier gap.
The list, updated September 11, 2026, compiles essays on open-model strategy, licensing gradients, safety of open weights, adoption data, and Chinese open-source history. It notes leading open models have come from Chinese labs since roughly 2024, citing Kimi K3 and GLM-5.2/5.3, and that the open-closed gap has narrowed to roughly 4-6 months. It also documents Western adoption of Chinese models, including Perplexity's use of DeepSeek R1 and Thomson Reuters moving to Qwen, which has drawn lawmaker probes at DoorDash, Airbnb, Anysphere/Cursor, and Apple.
- Open-closed frontier gap has narrowed to roughly 4-6 months; Chinese labs lead open weights.
- List spans licensing, open-weight safety, adoption dashboards, and US policy risk to frontier open models.
- Western firms adopting Chinese models (Perplexity, Thomson Reuters) have drawn regulatory scrutiny.
- Countries
- ChinaUnited States
- AI models
- LlamaDeepSeek R1QwenKimi K3GLM-5
From the original article
7 min read at interconnects.ai
How to get up to speed on open models and their implications.
By Nathan Lambert · interconnects.ai
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