Tech Life China's AI progress
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Jan 27, 2026 
Alistair Keane, technology journalist who road-tested an exoskeleton in Red Rock Canyon. Lily Jamali, BBC North America technology correspondent covering AI developments. They discuss China's DeepSeek launch and its ripple effects. They talk about Chinese open source AI models being adopted by US companies. They also cover real-world uses and the growing global cross‑border reuse of AI tech.
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Open-Source Models Shift The Balance
- Chinese companies are leading in open-source AI models like DeepSeek and are gaining real traction globally.
- US firms focus more on closed, monetized models while Chinese models offer cheaper, customizable alternatives.
Cost And Customization Drive Adoption
- Major US companies increasingly deploy Chinese open-source models because they are far cheaper and customizable.
- Firms like Pinterest and Airbnb mix Chinese models with in-house tweaks to improve task-specific performance.
Pinterest Shares Performance Gains
- Pinterest leaders openly acknowledged using open-source techniques and in-house models for PinRec.
- Matt Madrigal said their trained models are 30% more accurate than off-the-shelf alternatives.