OpenAI completely bans China: using a VPN also can’t access ChatGPT

Many experts believe that OpenAI’s announcement to completely block access from China will bring great opportunities for the country’s domestic AI models.

OpenAI is taking additional measures to restrict access from China to the company’s artificial intelligence engine, A step that shows maintaining a policy of blocking users from countries and regions that they do not support.

Reports say that the Microsoft-backed startup has sent a memorandum to developers in China about its plans to block accessinto AI tools and software from July.

However, this could be an advantage for China’s domestic AI tools, as local companies including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Zhipu AI are investing in AI backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd. posted a notice encouraging developers to switch to using their products.

OpenAI will completely block access from China 

“We are taking additional steps to block API traffic from regions where we do not support access to the epidemic OpenAI’s case,” an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday.

OpenAI supports access to its services in dozens of countries. People who access their products in countries that are not on the list, such as China, may be blocked or have their finances suspended n, according to the company’s instructions.

It is unclear what prompted this move by OpenAI. In May, Sam Altman’s startup revealed it had prevented at least five covert influence campaigns in the past few months. claiming that these campaigns are using their AI products to manipulate public opinion.

OpenAI’s announcement also coincides with growing pressure from Washington to limit China’s access to new technology.High-end artificial intelligence. Although OpenAI is not officially available in China, many developers from the country still access the technologythrough VPNs and other tools.

The ban could have a significant impact on the market, leading to smaller startups appearing in a “hundred-acre war” picture” had to retreat. There are also concerns about whether other open-source models, such as Meta’s Llama, will also cut off access to Chinese developer or not.

In a separate move, Microsoft, the sponsor of OpenAI, retains access to OpenAI models for eligible customers in Hong Kong.via the Azure cloud platform, there are no changes to Azure OpenAI services in Hong Kong. This continues to provide some developers in the region with the tools they need.

Opportunities for China’s domestic AI firms

Meanwhile, from Baidu Inc. to startups like Zhipu, Chinese companies are trying to develop AI models that can rival ChatGPT and cevil pioneers in other American industries. Beijing is openly encouraging local companies to innovate in the field of AI, a technology they see as critical to strengthening its economic position and military of China.

OpenAI’s decision to block access to developers in China will reshape the AI landscape in the region. Experts in The industry and analysts believe that the move will not hinder but will instead accelerate the development of China’s AI industry.

Zhou Hongyi, CEO of Qihoo 360, predicts that the ban will push Chinese users towards local AI models. Qihoo 360 has developed its own large language model (LLM). Although OpenAI’s services are not officially available in China, the developers have used VPNs and APIs to bypass the restriction. However, the new ban is prompting a swift response from Chinese tech companies that are quick to seize the opportunity.

In response to OpenAI’s ban, some Chinese companies are offering incentives to attract developers. For example, Beijing-based Zhipu AI has implemented a “special relocation plan” to facilitate the transition to their platform.

Major companies such as Alibaba, Baidu, Baichuan, and 01.ai are also offering various perks, including discounts, free gifts, and technical support. Baidu is offering free AI model tuning and 50 million free tokens, while SenseTime Group Inc. is offering 50 million free tokens and Zhipu AI is giving away 150 million tokens with training sessions.

Even so, many Chinese developers will still face many challenges when they do not have access to high-end AI algorithms across the globesour. Therefore, many experts believe that in the long term, these limitations will make it take up to 2 years for Chinese AI models to catch uprivals from the US. Moreover, this can also motivate Chinese technology startups to go abroad to find a more stable market.