chinese labs outship us 24 to 18 in the 2026 model race

42 ai model releases in just 4 months

all across 8 top labs. here's the breakdown:

chinese labs: 24 releases
us labs: 18 releases

who shipped the most:

@alibaba_qwen – 8 models
@openai – 7 models
@zai_org – 7 models
@minimaxai_ – 6 models

ai in 2026 is less about breakthroughs and more about staying visible. the us is losing that battle