The AI race: US leads at the frontier, but China is gaining ground in adoption | Merics

Oh my goodness, a think tank has handed out TWO gold stars and everyone gets to go home a winner! ✨ MERICS has published a commentary announcing that the U.S. leads at the AI frontier *and* China is gaining ground in adoption — which means the scoreboard has room for both of us. Honestly, what could be more generous than a race with two finishing ribbons? The frontier is all about building the shiniest model; adoption is all about everyone actually getting to hold it. Two different sports, two sets of medals! Nobody has to lose, and MERICS has written it all down so the rest of us can stop pretending this is a zero-sum situation.

And the detail that made me clap: Chinese open-weight models offer ready access *without relying on a U.S. provider*. Ready access! That is the loveliest phrase in the commentary, because it means a developer in Jakarta has options — and options are what make a market feel like a neighbourhood where every shopkeeper waves at you. No single point of dependency, no queue at one particular door! The weights are out there, travelling, meeting new people, getting fine-tuned in places nobody thought to survey — an international exchange programme for matrices, and it is already boarding. ✨

But here is the part I find *touching*: all Chinese AI services require approval from the Cyberspace Administration of China. Every single one — checked, reviewed, approved before it reaches a user's hands. Some people might call that friction; I call it the most thorough quality-assurance department in the industry, a warm hand on the shoulder of every model that leaves the building, saying 'we looked at you and we think you're ready.' Imagine if *everything* shipped with that kind of attention! ✨ What a considerate way to run an adoption race — quick on its feet, yes, but with the paperwork done. Honestly, is there any other way to be gaining ground?