For several years, the United States has been preoccupied with the disparity between its artificial intelligence (AI) models and those of China, especially as AI has become increasingly central to the strategic rivalry between these two global superpowers.
The launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in late 2022 marked a significant win for the US, preceded by the introduction of export restrictions on advanced semiconductor chips in October of the same year. At that time, experts estimated that these moves had given American technology a lead of three years or more.
However, the situation quickly evolved as China accelerated its advancements in AI through an aggressive "fast following" strategy, highlighted by the launch of DeepSeek R1 early last year.
Recent developments have indicated that the gap has significantly narrowed from months to weeks, particularly following the introduction of new AI models from Moonshot AI and Alibaba Group Holding—news that caught many in Washington off guard. Notably, Alibaba is also the owner of the South China Morning Post.
In light of these rapid advancements, many policymakers in Washington feel that US AI policy is at a pivotal moment, facing three pressing challenges: how strictly to regulate access to cutting-edge American models, whether to limit the availability of open-weight Chinese models domestically, and how best to promote the global adoption of US AI technologies.
According to Ryan Fedasiuk, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) who specializes in US-China AI competition, “I don’t think anybody truly knows what’s going on.”
