GoKawiilEric Schmidt: China now six months behind US in AI, down from two years
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said China's AI capabilities have advanced to within roughly six months of the United States, compared with a two-year gap he previously estimated. Schmidt, who also advises the Pentagon and leads Relativity Space, voiced concern that open-source AI models pose a growing security risk.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Schmidt's narrowing timeline suggests the perceived US lead in AI may be shrinking faster than policymakers have assumed, which could intensify pressure for export controls and compute restrictions. His comments on open-source models as a security threat reflect an ongoing industry debate over whether openly shared AI weights accelerate rivals' progress more than they benefit security research.
- Schmidt now estimates China is six months behind the US in AI, down from a prior two-year estimate.
- He flags open-source AI models as a growing security concern.
- He suggests avoiding a zero-sum US-China AI race is possible, though current politics make it difficult.
Source: fastcompany.com, 2026-10-28
Published there as: “Eric Schmidt says China is now just 6 months behind the U.S. in AI”
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