China's AI advancements have gained global attention, especially after January's "DeepSeek shock," which propelled the country's progress in technology. Rather than following the U.S. model centered around proprietary language models and semiconductors, China emphasizes "embodied AI" that integrates AI with physical hardware. Chinese firms generally adopt open-source frameworks, in contrast to the closed-source strategies prevalent in U.S. companies. This approach not only supports local development but also extends China's influence by allowing international developers access to its AI models, fostering a broader global reach.
Chinese companies have made a concerted push to integrate AI into physical hardware in what's called 'embodied AI.' Even if the U.S. has the more powerful foundational models, China has gone further in applying AI to industrial uses.
Some of the interest in China's AI models, like those from DeepSeek and Alibaba, is due to their open-source nature, which allows developers to freely download, use, and experiment with these models on their own devices.
By making their source code freely available, AI companies are helping build 'soft power,' which allows AI developers in other countries to use these models to develop their own products, spreading China's global influence.
In the U.S., companies leading the AI industry, like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, have continued to keep their source codes closed, which contrasts sharply with China's open-source embrace.
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