DAVOS, SWITZERLAND: China’s leading artificial intelligence companies remain behind Western peers by about six months, according to the chief executive of Google’s DeepMind, underscoring both rapid progress and persistent gaps in frontier AI technology.
Demis Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind — the London-based AI lab owned by Alphabet Inc. — said Friday that Chinese AI models are now “a matter of months” away from matching the capabilities of U.S. and other Western systems. His remarks came during an interview on the CNBC podcast The Tech Download at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
“Maybe they’re only a matter of months behind at this point,” Hassabis said, noting that the difference today is far smaller than perceptions from one or two years ago.
Hassabis’ comments reflect a major shift in assessments of China’s AI sector, which is supported by billions of dollars in state and private investment and now fields models from competitors such as DeepSeek alongside giants like Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent.
Despite narrowing the gap, experts caution that Chinese firms have yet to demonstrate sustained leadership in fundamental breakthroughs such as revolutionary architectures or general intelligence. DeepMind and U.S. counterparts continue to set many benchmarks.
The remarks come amid increased global scrutiny of AI competition, with Washington and Beijing both pushing policies aimed at boosting domestic research while managing strategic risks. Analysts say the pace of innovation — beyond mere catch-up — will determine long-term leadership in the field.