AI is expected to be a key topic when Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet Thursday. US firms lead in frontier models, while China rapidly releases downloadable, adaptable models; which side is ahead depends on how success is measured.
Stanford researchers said Anthropic’s top model led the pack by just 2.7% in March 2026; DeepSeek’s model had briefly matched the top US model in February 2025. China analyst Lizzi Lee said Beijing focuses on deploying AI across the economy. Rebecca Arcesati cited cheaper electricity for Chinese firms; the International Federation of Robotics estimates more than two million robots work in Chinese factories.
US officials and AI firms have alleged that Chinese developers used “distillation”—a technique that lets models learn from more advanced platforms—to close the gap. Trump says existing US rules are sufficient, while Xi has urged that AI remain under human control. Before the summit, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng discussed establishing a notification mechanism for serious AI incidents.
