If AI labs buy training data from the same companies, what makes their models different?

A discussion on a developer community forum raises questions about the differentiation of AI models when labs acquire training data from the same vendors. The user wonders how much of a model's specialized capabilities, such as coding or writing, stem from the data versus the lab's processing. The observation that US data vendors supply Chinese labs also prompts curiosity about the extent of overlap in underlying training materials and the potential impact on competitive advantages.

This discussion uniquely highlights the potential for data overlap between competing AI labs, unlike typical reports focusing solely on model architecture or training methods.