Is China winning the AI race? (www.bbc.com)

China is emerging as a formidable player in the AI race, particularly with the growth of open-source models such as the DeepSeek R-1, which Pinterest is now leveraging to enhance its recommendation engine. Pinterest CEO Bill Ready described this “DeepSeek moment” as a breakthrough for the company, allowing it to transform into an AI-powered shopping assistant. Unlike many proprietary models from US firms like OpenAI, Chinese models can be freely downloaded and customized, resulting in recommendations that are more accurate and significantly cheaper—up to 90% less than their US counterparts. This trend is not isolated to Pinterest; major companies like Airbnb are also utilizing Chinese AI models, citing their superior performance, speed, and cost-effectiveness. Reports indicate that Chinese models are increasingly dominating platforms like Hugging Face, with models from Alibaba and others regularly topping download charts. Experts suggest that while US firms are preoccupied with advancements towards superintelligence, China is capitalizing on the open-source movement and government support, potentially positioning itself ahead in the AI landscape. As the competition evolves, the emphasis on open-source accessibility could reshape the dynamics of AI development globally.