China’s leading AI firms earn global recognition as Time debuts a dedicated industry list dominated by US tech giants.

China’s DeepSeek unveiled a preview version of its much-anticipated new model on Friday, promising to rival models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google a year after the then little-known start up took the global AI industry by storm.

An exhibitor introduces fragrance products at an artificial intelligence (AI) market in Fuzhou Strait International Conference & Exhibition Center, Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, April 28, 2026. The AI market kicked off here ahead of the 9th Digital China Summit, which will convene in Fuzhou from April 29 to 30. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

From cars to robots, industries across China are seeing AI expand from cloud-based systems into devices.

China's cyberspace administrator has ordered ByteDance's video editing apps Jianying and Maoxiang, and website Jimeng AI, to comply with rules on labelling AI-generated

Beijing’s move to halt Meta’s Manus acquisition sharpens the U.S.-China AI rivalry and signals a tougher push for sovereign control over advanced artificial intelligence.

"I don't even agree with the assumption that Chinese models are catching up — I believe we're still far behind," a former ByteDance engineer said.

Chinese firms like DeepSeek and Alibaba advance efficient, low-cost AI models while expanding global share and open-weight adoption.