World Liberty Financial, which has received backing from former US President Donald Trump, is partnering with AI platform WorldClaw to broaden the adoption of its USD1 stablecoin. The collaboration allows users to pay with USD1 to access a range of AI models, including those from major Chinese technology companies previously scrutinized by US authorities for national security concerns.
WorldClaw’s AI model lineup
WorldClaw, a Hong Kong-based artificial intelligence company, provides access to more than 90 AI models. Of these, 43 originate from Chinese developers such as Alibaba, Baidu, Z.ai, DeepSeek, and Moonshot. The platform also features AI tools from US-based OpenAI and Anthropic, offering customers a wide array of model options.
The partnership involves WorldClaw accepting USD1, a stablecoin issued by World Liberty, as payment for its services. World Liberty executive Ryan Fang acts as an adviser to WorldClaw, and members of the Trump family, including Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, have publicly promoted the venture.
World Liberty spokesperson David Wachsman described the offering of both Chinese and American AI models as typical in the industry. He emphasized that WorldClaw operates independently and pointed to US technology firms using a similar approach to diversify their AI offerings.
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Scrutiny of Chinese AI developers
Several of the Chinese companies whose models appear on WorldClaw have faced action from US authorities. In January 2025, the US Commerce Department added Z.ai—previously known as Zhipu AI—to its Entity List, which curtails its access to US technology. In June, the Department of Defense classified Alibaba and Baidu as “Chinese Military Companies Operating in the United States,” a move that blocks the Pentagon from engaging in business with them.
An Alibaba spokesperson disputed the Pentagon’s classification, asserting that “Alibaba is not a Chinese military company nor part of any military-civil fusion strategy.” The company called the designation “arbitrary and capricious,” and said it intends to take legal action to seek removal from the list.
Details regarding the financial relationship between the Trump family and WorldClaw remain undisclosed. Ryan Fang, an executive at World Liberty, reportedly also advises WorldClaw.
Mini dictionary: Entity List – A US government trade restriction list managed by the Department of Commerce. Companies or individuals placed on this list face strict US technology export controls due to national security or foreign policy concerns.
Growing concerns over model distillation
Some Chinese AI companies available on WorldClaw have attracted criticism from US developers. In February, AI company Anthropic accused DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, and MiniMax of using approximately 24,000 fraudulent accounts to create over 16 million Claude model exchanges through a process known as model distillation, where one AI system learns by replicating another’s outputs.
Mini dictionary: Model distillation – An AI training technique in which a “student” model learns to mimic the behavior and outputs of a more advanced “teacher” model. It is commonly used to create lightweight or efficient versions of complex systems but has raised IP and security concerns when done illicitly.
In June, Anthropic called on Congress to strengthen export controls and enact penalties targeting mass scale model extraction activities. The company argued that government and industry should coordinate to address the threat posed by illicit model distillation and safeguard American AI leadership.
Anthropic emphasized the need for coordinated government and industry action to protect American AI innovation, stating that it will continue collaborating with Congress and the administration to address illicit distillation threats.
