China just ‘months’ behind U.S. AI models, Google DeepMind CEO says

China’s artificial intelligence models may be just “a matter of months” behind U.S. and Western capabilities, Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google DeepMind told CNBC. The assessment from the head of one of the world’s leading AI labs and a key driver behind Google’s Gemini assistant, runs counter to views that have suggested China remains far behind.

Speaking on CNBC’s new podcast, The Tech Download, which launched on Friday, Hassabis said Chinese AI models are closer to U.S. and Western capabilities “than maybe we thought one or two years ago.” “Maybe they’re only a matter of months behind at this point,” Hassabis told The Tech Download.

About a year ago, Chinese AI lab DeepSeek came out with a model that sent shockwaves through markets because of its strong performance that was builton less-advanced chips and at a lower cost than American alternatives.

Read more