EXPLAINER: What is AI model distillation and why is it becoming a US-China flashpoint?

A technique that allows developers to shrink powerful artificial intelligence models into cheaper, more efficient systems has become the latest battleground in the intensifying U.S.-China race for AI dominance.Known as model distillation, the method uses the outputs of a powerful AI system to train a smaller model that can perform some of the same tasks with fewer computing resources.Long regarded as a standard tool of AI research, distillation is now at the centre of a growing dispute over whether advanced AI capabilities can be transferred without the consent of the companies that creat…READ FULL ARTICLE