"The performance gap between the best American and Chinese AI models has collapsed to 2.7%, down from 17.5-31.6 percentage points in May 2023, despite the US spending 23 times more on private AI investment."
"China leads in AI patents, holding 69.7% of global filings, and in publications, contributing 23.2% of global output, while also outpacing the US in industrial robot installations."
"The United States dominates private AI investment with $285.9 billion in 2025, yet leads in model performance by less than three percentage points, raising questions about the sustainability of American leadership."
The 2026 AI Index Report reveals that the performance gap between the best American and Chinese AI models has decreased to 2.7%. This is a significant reduction from the 17.5-31.6 percentage points gap noted in May 2023. Despite the US spending $285.9 billion on private AI investment compared to China's $12.4 billion, the US leads in model performance by a mere three percentage points. China excels in AI patents, publications, and industrial robot installations, while AI talent migration to the US has significantly declined since 2017.
Read at TNW | China
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