The Trump administration is showing signs it could ban cutting-edge Chinese AI models — a momentous move that could lock in dominance by OpenAI and Anthropic, Axios reported.

Axar.az informs that parts of the administration have tried to implement de facto bans on foreign open-source models before, knowledgeable sources told Axios.

According to the publication, last week's rise of Chinese model Kimi is reigniting those efforts.

Axios also said U.S. companies are increasingly using open-source models from China because they're cheaper and, as seen by the advent of Kimi, just about as good as the domestic technology.

The Commerce Department last year considered adding multiple Chinese AI labs to its "Entity List," which would effectively cut off U.S. access without a license, a source close to the administration told Axios.

The National Security Agency and White House Office of the National Cyber Director also considered putting out an advisory on Chinese AI lab threats last year, practically discouraging U.S. companies from using their tech, the source said.

The White House considered implementing an executive order saying U.S. companies could only host Chinese models if they could guarantee security and take liability if it were breached, the source added.

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