The current balance of power in open models
Chinese open-weight models like GLM-5.2 and Kimi K3 have surpassed American ones and reached commercial agentic viability.
“Since about April 2025, Chinese AI companies have been the clear leader in open-weight models.”— Nathan Lambert
In prepared remarks for a Congressional briefing, Nathan Lambert argues that Chinese firms have led open-weight AI models since April 2025, with GLM-5.2 and Kimi K3 crossing a commercial agentic-capability threshold. He frames open-weight versus open-source distinctions and the U.S.-China balance of power, noting America now leads mainly in fully open-source models. This matters for AI policy and competitiveness as open models become strategically central.