The secret Trump administration battle to fight Chinese AI

The Trump administration is considering restrictions on Chinese AI models, Axios reports, with the recent rise of the model Kimi reigniting efforts behind the scenes. Chinese platforms are cheaper and increasingly competitive, but the Commerce Department has considered adding Chinese AI labs to an export blacklist, and the White House explored executive orders requiring security guarantees on any U.S. hosted Chinese tech. The debate: pro-competition advocates worry this protectionist push benefits OpenAI and Anthropic over genuine innovation — and the administration receives pitches to restrict open-source competition every three to five months. Rather than outright bans, a slower and more durable approach through procurement rules, public pressure, and entity list threats could quietly push U.S. companies away from cheaper Chinese options without formal legislation.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton