Китай сократил отставание в ИИ до 6%: Moonshot и Zhipu — не разовый успех

Bloomberg Intelligence reported on July 23, 2026, that Chinese AI models narrowed their performance gap with American models to a record-low 6% in June 2026 — down from 9% the month before.

How close China has gotten to the US

The performance gap between Chinese and American AI models stood at 6% in June 2026 — the lowest figure recorded in Bloomberg Intelligence's entire observation history. In May 2026, the gap was estimated at 9%, meaning it narrowed by roughly a third in just one month. This is the narrowest gap recorded by analysts in their series of measurements.

This is an aggregated estimate: the smaller the percentage, the closer Chinese systems have come to the level of the best American models on overall metrics. Bloomberg Intelligence is Bloomberg's research division, and the existence of separate estimates for May and June 2026 points to regular month-by-month monitoring of the trend, not a one-off snapshot.

• The performance gap was 6% in June 2026 (a record low)
• A month earlier, in May 2026, it was 9%
• The month-over-month narrowing was roughly a third
• The estimate comes from Bloomberg Intelligence
• The strong Chinese players in focus are Moonshot AI and Zhipu

Why this isn't a one-off success

More than one Chinese lab is driving the progress — several are — and that's the report's key argument. Bloomberg Intelligence specifically names Moonshot AI and Zhipu: if strong results come from more than one company, the theory of a random, isolated breakthrough looks weaker.

That's why analysts interpret the June figures not as an outlier but as a sign of a sustained trend. Per the report's logic, China's AI development ecosystem is catching up with the American one on several fronts at once, and the drop in the metric from 9% to 6% in a month fits that picture rather than contradicting it.

What this calls into question

Narrowing the gap to 6% calls into question the durability of US technological superiority in the AI sector — a direct conclusion of the Bloomberg Intelligence report. Until recently, American labs' lead was considered comfortable, but the trend in the measurements shows it is shrinking fast.

"The narrowing gap raises questions about the sustainability of the US's technological edge in the sector," according to the

Bloomberg Intelligence report.

For the market, this is a signal: leadership in AI is ceasing to be the monopoly of a handful of American companies and is becoming a matter of real international competition. Whether US leaders can hold their pace will shape both investment flows and the balance of power in the global model market.

What this means

If the trend from 9% to 6% in a single month continues, the gap for Chinese models could become statistically insignificant in the foreseeable future. For users and businesses, that means more competitive alternatives; for American labs, it means having to maintain their pace rather than relying on their previous lead.

Frequently asked questions

How far behind American AI are Chinese models?

According to Bloomberg Intelligence's estimate, the performance gap stood at 6% in June 2026 — a record low compared with 9% in May 2026.

Why is the narrowing gap considered a sustained trend?

Because strong results are coming not from one but from several Chinese companies at once, including Moonshot AI and Zhipu — an argument against the theory of a one-off breakthrough.