China’s AI Chatbots are Becoming More Accessible Across the World

China’s AI chatbots are becoming more accessible to users worldwide, enabling experimentation and comparison with Western models.

Key pathways to access: Chinese AI companies are providing various avenues for users outside China to interact with their large language models (LLMs) and chatbots:

• Some platforms, such as Doubao, ChatGLM, and DeepSeek, allow direct registration using non-Chinese phone numbers, granting access to a range of AI features like text and image generation.
• Open-source AI community Hugging Face hosts demos of several Chinese LLMs, including Alibaba’s Qwen and Tencent’s Hunyuan-DiT, which can be accessed without a Chinese number.
• Alibaba’s ModelScope platform, a Chinese equivalent to Hugging Face, enables users to register with non-Chinese numbers and provides an “LLM Arena” for comparing responses from multiple Chinese and Western models side-by-side.

Expanding opportunities for experimentation: The increasing availability of Chinese LLMs to global users opens up new possibilities:

• AI developers and researchers can more easily integrate Chinese models into their projects or conduct comparative analyses.
• Casual users curious about the capabilities of Chinese chatbots can now engage with them directly, even without language proficiency, as many models support English interactions.
• Businesses exploring potential applications of LLMs can test out cheaper alternatives to Western offerings, such as DeepSeek’s model.

Navigating remaining barriers: While access is improving, some hurdles still exist for non-Chinese users looking to experiment with certain models:

• Chatbots from major players like Huawei, 360, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences still require a Chinese phone number for registration.
• More complex features like multimodal image uploading are not always available through the accessible demo versions of models on Hugging Face or ModelScope.

Broader implications: The growing global reach of Chinese LLMs reflects the intensifying international competition in AI development:

• China’s rapidly evolving AI ecosystem is challenging the dominance of Western tech giants and their models.
• Cross-pollination between Chinese and Western AI communities, enabled by platforms like Hugging Face and ModelScope, could accelerate innovation and collaboration.
• However, increased access to Chinese LLMs may also raise concerns around data privacy, content moderation, and potential misuse, mirroring debates surrounding Western models.

As Chinese AI companies continue to open up their models to worldwide audiences, it will be crucial to monitor how global users engage with these tools, assess their societal impacts, and consider the implications for the future of AI development and governance on a global scale.