China is having another AI moment
A new model has narrowed the gap with the US.
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On June 13, a Beijing-based lab called Zhipu, or Z.ai, announced its latest system, GLM 5.2, promising “a step closer to frontier intelligence for everyone”.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The Economist
The US’ lead over China in artificial intelligence may be at its smallest in over a year. When China disrupted the AI race in January 2025 with the release of DeepSeek R1, it erased US$1 trillion (S$1.29 trillion) from US capital markets. Nvidia, a chip firm, briefly shed 17 per cent of its value; the NASDAQ sank by 3.1 per cent in a day.
US investors were troubled not only because Chinese AI was good but because it was being given away for free. The uproar soon faded. Since then, market valuations around the world have hinged ever more on the promise that AI will be both revolutionary and profitable.
