Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Since the beginning of the AI revolution, a few companies have claimed to be building the best and most powerful AI models. All of them were American. More recently, a few Chinese companies seem to have caught up, shipping models that are much cheaper and maybe also just as good. The Verge's Hayden Field and Lauren Feiner join the show to explain how China made so much progress, the threat that progress represents to US companies and the US government, and what might happen next.
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0:00 Intro
01:19 90 Seconds on The Verge
03:05 Is China Still Six Months Behind?
05:46 Distillation Explained
08:37 DeepSeek And Export Controls
12:20 What if China Wins?
18:15 The Patriotism Angle
23:27 Midterms And Messaging
28:52 Trump and the AI Industry
33:09 Wrap Up
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Since the beginning of the AI revolution, a few companies have claimed to be building the best and most powerful AI models. All of them were American. More recently, a few Chinese companies seem to have caught up, shipping models that are much cheaper and maybe also just as good. The Verge's Hayden Field and Lauren Feiner join the show to explain how China made so much progress, the threat that progress represents to US companies and the US government, and what might happen next.
We have new merch! Get yours here: bit.ly/3RCikCY
0:00 Intro
01:19 90 Seconds on The Verge
03:05 Is China Still Six Months Behind?
05:46 Distillation Explained
08:37 DeepSeek And Export Controls
12:20 What if China Wins?
18:15 The Patriotism Angle
23:27 Midterms And Messaging
28:52 Trump and the AI Industry
33:09 Wrap Up
Subscribe: goo.gl/G5RXGs
Like The Verge on Facebook: goo.gl/2P1aGc
Follow on Twitter: goo.gl/XTWX61
Follow on Instagram: goo.gl/7ZeLv
Watch The Vergecast on YouTube: bit.ly/40RFRkg
The Vergecast Podcast: bit.ly/3WQDexZ
Decoder with Nilay Patel: apple.co/3v29nDc
More about our podcasts: theverge.com/podcasts
Read More: theverge.com
Community guidelines: bit.ly/2D0hlAv
Wallpapers from The Verge: bit.ly/2xQXYJr
Shop our Verge merch store here: bit.ly/4kPCmEc
Subscribe to The Verge: bit.ly/3FT6n5S
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may receive a commission without exerting any influence on editorial content. For more information about our ethics policy, visit: bit.ly/3ZWTlLs
