China may close foreign access to its best AI models
China may close foreign access to its best AI models
Authorities have already met with Alibaba, ByteDance and Z.ai, Reuters reports. The talks covered current models and models that have not been released yet.
Possible targets for control:
• closed models
• open-weight models
• access for foreign companies
• investors in Chinese AI startups
• AI technology leaks and theft
After DeepSeek, Chinese AI became a serious force in the global market. The models cost less, show strong results and are quickly catching up with American systems.
Beijing is increasingly treating AI as a strategic asset. The US already takes a similar approach to its top models.
New rules could make it harder for foreign companies to build products on Chinese AI.