The Z.ai Playbook
Episode description
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
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices