The U.S.-China AI model gap has closed.

In February 2025, DeepSeek-R1 briefly matched the leading U.S. model, and as of March 2026, Anthropic’s top model is ahead by just 2.7%. The U.S. continues to produce more top-tier AI models and higher-impact patents, while China leads in publication volume, citations, patent output, and industrial robot installations. South Korea also stands out for its innovation density, leading the world in AI patents per capita.