Using VPNs, company accounts and other work-arounds, China’s AI users are flocking to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.Visitors learn about Sugon 8000, China’s first fully domestic AI computing cluster, at the World AI Conference in Shanghai on Monday.Long Wei / Future Publishing via Getty Images July 26, 2026, 12:00 PM EDTSHANGHAI — Chinese workers, students and AI aficionados are regularly using leading American AI systems despite American companies’ attempts to limit their usage and increasingly fiery rhetoric from policymakers about the perceived risks of China’s access to American products.Just a moment.We are getting your experience ready.
‘AI can’t replace me’: Young people in China are upbeat on AI and their country’s own models
Using VPNs, company accounts and other work-arounds, China’s AI users are flocking to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.
TL;DRAI
Chinese workers and students widely use ChatGPT and Claude through VPNs and workarounds despite US restrictions. The trend signals strong global AI adoption demand and reveals export controls have limited effectiveness against motivated users.
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