OpenAI recently made the decision to block users in China from accessing its tools and services, including the popular ChatGPT, starting on July 9. While the exact reason for this block has not been elaborated on by OpenAI, it comes amidst escalating tensions between the United States and China, with restrictions being placed on the export of advanced semiconductors crucial for AI technology training.
The impact of this move by OpenAI is expected to be significant in the Chinese AI landscape. Chinese developers who previously used VPNs to access OpenAI’s tools for research and fine-tuning their AI applications will now no longer have that option. This has raised concerns within the Chinese AI community about equitable access to AI technologies globally.
However, this block also presents opportunities for Chinese AI companies like SenseTime, Baidu, Zhipu AI, and Tencent Cloud. These firms have started offering free tokens and migration services to attract former OpenAI users. Baidu, for example, is providing 50 million free tokens and migration services, while ZhipuAI is offering 150 million free tokens for its model. Tencent Cloud is also giving away 100 million free tokens to new users until the end of July.
Experts believe that OpenAI’s departure could accelerate the development of Chinese AI companies, which are already in competition with their US counterparts. China currently hosts around 130 large language models, accounting for 40% of the global total. While US companies lead in generative AI innovation, Chinese firms have been engaged in a price war that could impact their profit margins and innovation capacity.
Winston Ma of New York University notes that Chinese big tech players are closing the performance gap with OpenAI and offering their LLM models essentially for free. He suggests that while OpenAI’s exit may initially shock the Chinese market, it could provide an opportunity for domestic LLM models in China to be put to the test in the long term.
