Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue says China is moving faster in AI development and could come to dominate parts of the sector by the end of 2026. In remarks reported by CNBC, Delangue argues that Chinese developers are advancing through broader collaboration and sharing, which he contrasts with what he describes as more isolated work in the United States. He suggests that open-source and open-model efforts could narrow the gap between U.S. and Chinese capabilities, with Chinese models potentially catching up to U.S. systems as soon as this year. The comments are framed around the pace of progress and the way teams are working rather than around a specific model or benchmark outcome. Overall, the reporting presents Delangue’s view that China’s approach to development—particularly collaboration around models and tools—may translate into faster improvements and greater influence in AI. Neither outlet provides independent verification of the claim, but both attribute the central prediction to Delangue.