Exclusive: OpenAI flags China's global ambitions
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
OpenAI says Chinese competitor Zhipu AI is aggressively courting governments in developing countries, aiming to entrench Chinese AI systems ahead of Western rivals.
Why it matters: OpenAI and others argue that it's a must-win race between U.S. and China over whose technology will control a bot-filled world.
Driving the news: OpenAI says a company called Zhipu AI is trying to pitch governments looking to invest in AI on their services as an alternative to the OpenAI for Countries push that launched last month.
- Zhipu AI is a foundation model developer that rivals DeepSeek with global ambitions, OpenAI says.
- "While promoting the development of domestic large-scale model technology, we also hope to contribute China's AI power to the world," Zhipu AI Chairman Liu Debing said last week.
- The company has backing from the Chinese government and from a unit of Saudi oil giant Aramco, which participated in the company's recent $400 million funding round.
Zoom in: OpenAI says its analysts have found that Zhipu is trying to make inroads in various countries in Asia and Africa.
- "The goal is to lock Chinese systems and standards into emerging markets before US or European rivals can, while showcasing a 'responsible, transparent and audit-ready' Chinese AI alternative," the company said in a blog post.
- OpenAI, meanwhile, has been pitching companies in the Middle East, Asia and other regions to partner on AI infrastructure. The company announced its first deal last month: a partnership with the United Arab Emirates to build a massive Stargate UAE data center in Abu Dhabi.
The big picture: The Trump Administration, tech leaders and others have positioned the battle over AI as the biggest of several must-win technology races, along with battles for leadership in semiconductors, quantum computing and alternative energy.
- Through a series of executive orders, Trump has rolled back policies and regulations from the prior administration in favor of an approach focused on fostering U.S. supremacy.
- "We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it's taking off, and we'll make every effort to encourage pro-growth AI policies," Vice President J.D. Vance said at the Paris AI Action Summit in February.
Yes, but: Critics warn that the framing is leading to a downplaying of very real concerns and the race to deploy AI first raises the risk of unleashing unsafe systems.
