In a surprising turn of events, OpenAI's ChatGPT has been outperformed in the realm of autonomous crypto trading by emerging Chinese AI chatbots. This development highlights the competitive landscape of AI technologies, particularly in specialized applications like cryptocurrency trading. The study highlights an alarming trend: the rapid advancement of AI capabilities in financial markets.
Chinese AI Models Excel in Crypto Trading Competition
During a recent autonomous crypto trading competition, two Chinese AI models, DeepSeek and Qwen3 Max, managed to surpass ChatGPT and Grok, showcasing their capabilities in this niche market. Notably, DeepSeek emerged as the only AI to achieve a positive trading return, generating approximately 9% profit as of October 22.
ChatGPT Faces Significant Losses
In stark contrast, ChatGPT experienced a significant setback, recording a staggering 66% loss and finishing in last place. This outcome is particularly striking given the vast resources invested in OpenAI, which allocated $57 billion to research and development initiatives in the first half of 2025 alone. DeepSeek, on the other hand, was developed with a comparatively modest training budget of $53 million, raising questions about the efficiency and effectiveness of AI training investments in the rapidly evolving crypto landscape.
The recent performance of Chinese AI models in crypto trading contrasts sharply with the finalized one-year trade deal between the United States and China, which aims to enhance collaboration in various sectors. For more details, see trade deal.
