Show Notes
This episode, I talk with Zixuan Li at Z.ai, one of China's top AI labs and the company behind the popular GLM models. Zixuan is Z.ai's Director of Product for genAI strategy and global partnerships. We discuss Z.ai's newest flagship AI model, the challenges of building agentic AI models, and what their longer AI strategy looks like. 00:00 Intro to Zixuan Li of Z.ai 00:29 GLM-5.1, Z.ai's Newest Flagship Model 04:34 Long Horizon Tasks 08:33 GLM Family of Foundation Models 14:30 Challenges in Developing Agentic AI Models 19:37 Working with Chinese AI Chipmakers 22:53 Open Source vs. Proprietary Models 36:49 Life After IPO and Chasing AGI 41:37 Z.ai's Global Strategy Links: Z.ai GLM-5.1: Towards Long-Horizon Tasks Zixuan on X/Twitter For transcripts and more, check out the High Capacity newsletter.
More from High Capacity
China’s robots can dance and run marathons—but can they do useful work? And can China make the core components like actuators, reducers, and chips?
Can the US and China agree to slow down AI development—or even agree on what counts as an AI risk?
Is the U.S.–China AI competition really a winner-take-all race to AGI? Why has China embraced open-source AI? And are the biggest frontier models actually the greatest security threat? In this episode, I speak with Alvin Wang Graylin, a Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, a Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, a professor of AI and technology policy at the University of Washington, and co-author of Our Next Reality. We discuss: • China’s AI strategy and its focus on spreading AI throughout the economy • Why the “decisive strategic advantage” theory may misread the U.S.–China AI relationship • The prisoner’s dilemma, the stag hunt, and the case for cooperation on AI safety • China’s open-source AI ecosystem and the debate over open versus closed models • Why small, specialized AI systems may pose greater security risks than frontier models • How export controls may be accelerating Chinese AI innovation • China’s push into robotics, manufacturing, and physical AI • How China’s technology industry has changed over the past three decades Read Alvin’s essays, “Misdiagnosing the U.S.–China AI Race” and “The Biggest AI Models Are Not the Biggest Threats.” You can also follow Alvin on X and LinkedIn, or read his Substack, The Abundanist. For transcripts and more information, visit the High Capacity newsletter. Follow host Kyle Chan on X.
How do users in China get access to Claude and ChatGPT through the gray market? What’s really driving China’s apparent “AI optimism”? How is China trying to deal with deepfakes and AI-generated content?
How did China build a world-leading EV industry? China didn't just pick winners. Local governments and private entrepreneurs played a critical role alongside a broader national push into batteries and electric vehicle technology.