China’s low-cost, open-weight artificial intelligence models are rapidly gaining ground on US rivals such as OpenAI and Anthropic. In June, global usage of Chinese AI models surpassed US models for the first time, according to OpenRouter data. From DeepSeek to Kimi K3, Chinese AI companies are attracting users around the world, including in Silicon Valley, where hundreds of startup founders urged the Trump administration not to restrict access to Chinese AI models. The shift comes as concerns grow over the risks of advanced AI, with company CEOs including Dario Amodei of Anthropic and Sam Altman of OpenAI calling for stronger safeguards and slower development. Explore these and other related stories in more depth on Bloomberg.com: US Lead in the AI Race With China Is Rapidly Narrowing: bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-us-china-ai-race/?srnd=homepage-asia 00:00 Intro 01:35 China’s AI ecosystem 02:46 Cost comparison 03:36 Rising performance of Chinese AI 04:13 Global adopti...