The United States has been using its trade powers to impede China's progress in advanced chipmaking, yet China has managed to develop its own competitors in the race for artificial intelligence. Despite not having access to certain advanced chips and many Western-developed AI models due to trade restrictions and government policies, China's top technology companies, such as Baidu, have successfully developed their own chips and models. Baidu's Ernie Bot is regarded as China's version of ChatGPT, which is not available in the country. Additionally, China's AI startup scene is reportedly flourishing, as acknowledged by some AI researchers in the United States.

According to reports, OpenAI is considering restricting access to its application programming interface (API), which enables developers to build products using OpenAI's technology. This limitation would include countries like China, potentially hindering AI advancements in the country, as many Chinese startups have relied on OpenAI's API. However, it could also serve as a catalyst for China's tech companies to intensify their AI development efforts. Take a look at some of China's notable AI models and startup companies.