Chinese AI Models Now Take Up to 46% of US Companies' Token Usage as Domestic Costs Surge

Minds, Bodies, and Terawatts · Jul 9, 2026 · 3m · transcript

CNBC reported that Chinese open-weight AI models have captured more than 30% of US companies' weekly token usage since February, peaking at 46% - up from about 11% a year earlier - because they run 60% to 90% cheaper than OpenAI and Anthropic. US lawmakers opened a probe into the trend on July 8, and China is reportedly weighing whether to restrict access to its most powerful models.

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