In April 2026, the AI field shows a noteworthy divergence trend. On one side, Chinese vendors like Zhipu AI released open-source models like GLM-5.1 with world-top-tier performance; on the other side, Anthropic locked Claude Mythos behind a 50-enterprise firewall, with the highest price reaching $125 per million output tokens.
The Open-Source Camp's Advantage Is Growing: Models like GLM-5.1 adopt the MIT license, completely free and commercially usable. These models are no longer inferior to any closed-source model in MoE architecture and parameter scale, more importantly they provide transparency, customizability, and cost controllability. For developers and enterprises, this means breaking free from single-vendor dependence, having true technical sovereignty.
The Closed-Source Model's Walled Garden Strategy: Although closed-source models still have advantages in specific scenarios, the high price threshold (huge gap from $0 to $125 per million tokens) and closed ecosystem are pushing users toward open-source solutions. Anthropic's practice of limiting Claude Mythos's accessibility has, on the contrary, accelerated the rise of the open-source ecosystem.
This trend is reshaping the AI industry landscape — open source is no longer just a "good enough" choice, but the better choice. Future AI competition's focus will no longer be pure parameter scale, but technological inclusivity and ecosystem openness.