China’s AI Ambitions: A New Era of Innovation
Meet Liang Wenfeng, the 39-Year-Old Tech Visionary
In a matter of weeks, Liang Wenfeng, founder of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, has become the face of China’s tech industry and its hope for overcoming the tightening grip of US export controls. Liang’s low profile was shattered when he was invited to speak at a closed-door symposium hosted by China’s Premier Li Qiang, alongside esteemed academics, officials, and state-owned conglomerate heads.
A Rare Breed of Tech Entrepreneur
Unlike his peers, Liang has avoided the spotlight, granting only two rare media interviews to Chinese media outlet Waves in 2022 and 2023. His youthful appearance belies his innovative spirit, which has caught the attention of Beijing policymakers. DeepSeek’s recent launch of a free AI assistant, touted to be more efficient and cost-effective than existing services, sent shockwaves through the global tech industry, triggering a selloff in tech stocks.
Breaking the Mold of Chinese Tech
Liang’s approach to AI development diverges from the traditional Chinese tech industry model, which often focuses on scaling up innovations from abroad. Instead, DeepSeek has concentrated on creating cutting-edge models that can rival those of OpenAI, with the goal of empowering other companies to build consumer and enterprise-facing AI products.
The Quest for Originality
In a candid interview, Liang expressed his belief that China’s tech industry has reached a crossroads, where it must choose between imitation and innovation. “China’s AI can’t be in the position of following forever… The real gap is the difference between originality and imitation.” Liang’s commitment to innovation is reflected in DeepSeek’s decision to make all its models open-source, a move that echoes the open-source culture of Silicon Valley.
A Culture of Curiosity and Creation
Liang’s interviews reveal a deep-seated passion for innovation, driven by curiosity and a desire to create. He believes that China’s tech industry has neglected fundamental R&D breakthroughs in favor of profit-driven ventures. “In the past thirty years, (China’s tech industry) has only emphasized making money, and ignored innovation… Innovation is not solely driven by business, it also needs curiosity and a desire to create.”
The Soft Power of Open-Source
By embracing open-source models, Liang hopes to foster a culture of collaboration and innovation, where developers can freely access and modify code. “Even if OpenAI is closed-source, it cannot stop others from catching up… Open-source is like a cultural practice, rather than a business practice… a company that does this will have soft power.”
A Visionary’s Journey
Liang’s journey began in Guangdong province, where he grew up surrounded by entrepreneurs. However, he was drawn to academia, enrolling in the elite Zhejiang University at 17 and later pursuing a master’s degree in Information and Communication Engineering. His experience co-founding a quantitative hedge fund in 2015 laid the groundwork for DeepSeek, which was created in 2023 with the goal of exploring the essence of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
The Future of AI
DeepSeek’s employees, mainly graduates and PhD students from China’s top universities, are driven by the prospect of solving the world’s hardest problems in AI. Liang’s vision for AGI, autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks, is ambitious, but he remains committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation. “What attracts the best talent is obviously the solving of the world’s hardest problems… Our goal is still to go for AGI.”
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