Washington is intensifying its artificial intelligence (AI) stance toward China amid growing concerns that Beijing is rapidly closing the technological gap. On Wednesday, a senior executive from Anthropic, a leading US AI company, stated that the United States maintains a six-to-nine-month lead in frontier AI models over Chinese competitors. However, the executive accused Chinese companies of employing unauthorized “distillation” techniques to replicate American AI advances.

Tarun Chhabra, Anthropic’s head of national security policy, described China’s use of model distillation as “adversarial,” characterizing it as the extraction of the most valuable intellectual property from US models. He added that without such practices, the US could have been “a year to 18 months ahead.” Chhabra also revealed that millions of accounts facilitating this distillation are being shut down weekly.

These remarks coincided with a new White House initiative aimed at coordinating cybersecurity vulnerability responses with AI companies. Meanwhile, the US Congress is preparing legislation to further restrict China’s access to advanced chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment, reflecting a broader effort to maintain US leadership in AI technology.

The Trump administration is deepening cooperation with leading US AI firms to strengthen the country’s position as lawmakers advance new export control bills targeting China’s AI capabilities.

Sources