China has given the green light to over 40 artificial intelligence (AI) models for public use in the last six months since the initiation of the approval process.
Coding AI – artistic impression. Image credit: Mohammad Rahmani via Unsplash, free license
The series of latest releases of tens of new AI models comes as a part of the country’s long-term aim to bridge the gap with the U.S. in AI development.
In the latest batch of approvals, regulators authorized a total of 14 large language models (LLMs) for public use, including companies like Xiaomi Corp, 4Paradigm, and 01.AI.
The initial batch of AI models was approved in August, with companies like Baidu, Alibaba, and ByteDance among the first recipients. Following the initiation of the approval process, Chinese regulators sanctioned two additional batches in November and December, with another batch receiving approval this month. The government has not disclosed the precise list of approved companies for public verification.
Beijing, since August of the previous year, has mandated tech firms to seek approval from regulators before making their LLMs accessible to the public, showcasing China’s strategy of advancing AI technology while maintaining oversight and control.
The surge in AI development by Chinese companies gained momentum after the global impact of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022. At that time, China possessed 130 Large Language Models (LLMs), constituting 40% of the global total and closely trailing the United States, which held a 50% share.
Written by Alius Noreika