From DeepSeek to Quen: Global market shifts toward Chinese AI models

PNN News Desk

Millions of users visit Pinterest monthly for new styles and ideas. Its “The Most Ridiculous Things” page shows unusual content, often AI-generated. Pinterest now uses Chinese open-source AI models to enhance its content recommendation system. CEO Bill Ready described the platform as a “fully AI-driven shopping assistant.”

Since the public release of China’s DeepSeek R-1 model in January 2025, Chinese AI technology has gained global attention. Models from Alibaba (Quen), Moonshot (Kimi), and ByteDance (TikTok) are also competing. Chinese open-source models are free, customizable, and reportedly 30% more accurate and cost-effective than many commercial models, with some reducing costs by up to 90%.

Airbnb uses Alibaba’s Quen model for customer service, praising its speed and efficiency. Hugging Face, a popular AI-sharing platform, has also seen a rise in Chinese model adoption. Stanford University reports that Chinese AI models now match or surpass global competitors in both capability and usability. Former UK Deputy Prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg noted that while US tech focuses on future superintelligence, China is democratizing open-source AI.

Meanwhile, US AI firms face revenue pressures, emphasizing commercial models and advertising. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated massive investments will continue to develop stronger models. Analysts suggest China’s rapid advancement in open-source AI is reshaping global competition, likely determining future leadership in artificial intelligence.