China Leads US in AI Perception but Lags in Trust
Key insights
- Public First's poll of 18,000+ people found respondents in 11 nations ranked China's AI above the US in capability and innovation.
- China's net trust score among global respondents was -8, ranking 10th overall, versus the US at +16 and Japan leading at +22.
- Germany showed the weakest confidence in US AI leadership across all surveyed nations, with only 23% saying the US was ahead.
Why this matters
Chinese AI firms face a compounding market barrier: global recognition of technical capability does not translate into the trust required for enterprise and government procurement, and the 24-point net trust gap between US AI (+16) and Chinese AI (-8) is now a quantified, survey-backed figure that buyers can cite. For AI founders and technical leaders making partnership decisions, Public First's data provides a concrete benchmark separating perceived capability from actual market readiness in 15 major economies. Japan's placement as the world's most trusted AI source at +22 net trust, above even the US, signals an underappreciated competitive positioning that has so far been overshadowed by the US-China framing.
Summary
Respondents in 11 of the 15 surveyed nations now view China's AI as outpacing the US, according to London-based consultancy Public First's poll of more than 18,000 people. In Canada, Britain, and France, at least 40% said China is ahead. Even in the US itself, 24% said China leads while 51% backed American AI, and Germany showed the weakest US confidence at just 23%.
Trust diverges sharply from that capability perception. On net trust scores, Japan ranked first at +22, the US second at +16, and China came in 10th at -8. More than 90% of respondents said AI will transform the world, but that conviction does not extend to Chinese AI specifically.
Essentially: (Public First, China, US) a world that acknowledges China's AI power is not the same world that trusts Chinese AI products.
- In countries considered key US allies, "many people believe Chinese artificial intelligence models are leading the global tech race."
- China's net trust score of -8 sits 24 points below the US figure of +16, and 30 points below Japan's +22.
- The survey excluded China itself, so all results reflect purely external perception.
The gap between who the world thinks is winning the AI race and whose AI it actually trusts may be the central fault line in enterprise and government AI adoption decisions over the next few years.
Potential risks and opportunities
Risks
- Chinese AI vendors face compounding barriers in Western enterprise deals as a -8 net trust score gives procurement teams a data-backed justification to select US or Japanese alternatives regardless of capability benchmarks.
- US AI providers risk over-relying on a +16 net trust advantage that still implies meaningful net distrust, and the gap could narrow if geopolitical sentiment shifts before the next comparable survey cycle.
- Governments in the 11 nations that already see China as the AI capability leader may encounter public resistance if they pursue Chinese AI adoption for state systems, given the simultaneous negative trust ratings reported in the same survey.
Opportunities
- US AI providers can deploy their +16 net trust score as a concrete, survey-validated differentiator in enterprise sales cycles where Chinese AI capability is already acknowledged by buyers.
- Japanese AI stakeholders hold the highest net trust rating globally at +22, creating an opening to position Japan-origin AI as a credible neutral alternative to both US and Chinese options in sensitive procurement contexts.
- Western AI governance bodies can use the Public First trust data to build standards-based procurement frameworks that formalize the trust gap as a measurable qualification criterion, locking in the current US and Japan advantage.
What we don't know yet
- Which specific nations make up the 11 that rank China as AI leader is not disclosed, leaving unclear how many are formal US allies versus non-aligned economies.
- How net trust scores break down by individual surveyed country rather than global aggregate is not published, obscuring where Chinese AI faces the steepest or weakest resistance.
- Whether the trust gap applies equally to consumer-facing AI products versus enterprise and government procurement contexts was not addressed by the Public First survey.
Originally reported by scmp.com
Read the original article →Original headline: Survey: Majorities in 11 Nations Now Rank China Ahead of US in AI Capability, Yet US AI Models Rated Significantly More Trustworthy by International Respondents