Chinese artificial intelligence models are catching up with top US AI systems, especially in cybersecurity, according to security researchers. A new AI model developed by Chinese company Zhipu AI (Z.ai) has shown that it can match Anthropic’s powerful model, Mythos.
Previewed in April, Mythos is designed to spot software vulnerabilities, yet experts warn it may enable stronger cyberattacks. This month, the US ordered Anthropic to stop exporting a less capable variant over national security concerns.
Security researchers say Zhipu AI can detect software security flaws and bugs. However, they say it still trails leading US models from Anthropic and OpenAI in many other areas, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Chinese AI adoption is climbing as companies try to cut rising costs. Microsoft and others are now considering hosting Chinese models to rein in runaway costs. This move could reshape power dynamics in tech. “China is making sure that the gap becomes smaller and smaller over time,” said Lior Div, chief executive officer of the cybersecurity company 7AI, as quoted by WSJ.
AI’s growing skill at spotting software bugs has made it more urgent to use those same models to patch flaws before hackers exploit them. Without that, researchers warn of a potential “bugmageddon.”
Zhipu’s GLM-5.2 is an open-weight intelligence model that anyone can download and run on their own hardware. Users can even modify it without any supervision. That freedom appeals to users who want full control, but it also gives hackers a tool they can operate out of sight.
The development comes amid a wave of rapid AI innovation from Chinese companies. Besides Zhipu AI, cybersecurity firm 360 Security Technology recently unveiled two AI-powered cybersecurity tools under the “Yitian Tulong” banner.
One of the tools, called Tulongfeng, is designed to automatically identify software vulnerabilities. Yitianzhen, on the other hand, focuses on cyber defence and incident response. The company also described Tulongfeng as China’s equivalent of Anthropic’s Mythos.
