Why China is giving away its best AI models
The Verge·July 27, 2026
China's Moonshot AI has developed Kimi K3, a highly capable AI model that can outperform some US-built systems at a lower cost. The company plans to release the model's weights for free, targeting US users and potentially disrupting the dominance of closed American models. This move has sparked unease in Silicon Valley, as open-weight models give developers greater control and could challenge the proprietary systems currently in use. The release of Kimi K3's weights may intensify the rivalry between the US and China in the AI sector.
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