On June 18, according to TechFlowPost, Elon Musk replied to a community question on social media about when China will reach Fable-level AI. Musk briefly responded: "Probably Q1," referring to the first quarter of 2026, indicating his belief that the milestone could be achieved as early as the first quarter of next year.
The question originated from an earlier analysis by X user Teortaxes, who provided a detailed breakdown of China's AI model progress. According to Teortaxes, the GLM 5.2 model is currently about seven months behind the most advanced AI models, performing at a level comparable to Opus 4.7 to 4.8. Furthermore, the Mythos model reached Preview status in early February 2026, with the complete version PRC Mythos, also known as Fable, anticipated to be released in November or December 2026. Musk's reply came in the context of this analysis, offering a more optimistic timeline for China's AI advancement.