# American Open-Source Labs Think They Can Beat China’s Best AI Startups

> Source: <https://www.machinebrief.com/news/american-open-source-labs-think-they-can-beat-chinas-best-ai-mm05>
> Published: 2026-07-21 17:00:22+00:00

# American Open-Source Labs Think They Can Beat China’s Best AI Startups

By Iain Martin, Forbes StaffSource:

[Forbes Innovation](https://www.forbes.com/innovation/)Chinese open-source models like Kimi and

[Deepseek](/compare/llama-4-vs-deepseek-r1)are now dominant AI tools. American startups like Thinking Machines, Reflection AI and now Poolside are trying to challenge that.Get AI news in your inbox

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