US AI Firms Accuse Chinese Rivals of Copying Models via Distillation

American artificial intelligence companies have raised concerns that Chinese competitors are replicating their AI systems using a technique known as distillation. The method, which has existed for several years, allows developers to train smaller models by learning from larger, more advanced ones. US firms argue that this practice gives Chinese rivals an unfair advantage in the global AI race. The controversy has brought renewed attention to the competitive and geopolitical tensions surrounding AI development between the two countries.