Q&A with Kai-Fu Lee on China's open-model advantage, AI's impact on jobs, US export restrictions on chips, Chinese AI's role in developing countries, and more (Mishal Husain/Bloomberg)

Lee says China’s open-model strategy lets AI firms iterate faster and access more data than closed-source rivals. He warns generative AI will replace many routine jobs but spawn AI-augmented roles. He adds U.S. chip export controls spur domestic chip-design, and Chinese startups are targeting developing-country markets with low-cost, language-specific models.