Zixuan Li is Director of Product and genAI Strategy at Z.ai (also known as Zhipu 智谱 AI). The release of their benchmark-topping flagship model, GLM 4.5, was akin to “another DeepSeek moment,” in the words of Nathan Lambert.

Our conversation today covers…

• What sets Z.ai apart from other Chinese models, including coding, role-playing capabilities, and translations of cryptic Chinese internet content,
• Why Chinese AI companies chase recognition from Silicon Valley thought leaders,
• The role of open source in the Chinese AI ecosystem,
• Fears of job loss and the prevalence of AI pessimism in China,
• How Z.ai trains its models, and what capabilities the company is targeting next.

Co-hosting today are Irene Zhang, long-time ChinaTalk analyst, as well as Nathan Lambert of the Interconnects Substack.

Follow Z.ai on X: https://x.com/Zai_org

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