Editor's note: In the realm of artificial intelligence (AI), Liang Wenfeng and his creation, DeepSeek, are emerging as a \"mysterious force from the East.\" As AI continues to reshape industries, we delve into the story behind DeepSeek's rapid rise and the visionary driving its success.
An AI lab based in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, has set Silicon Valley abuzz with its groundbreaking model, trained at a fraction of the cost of mainstream counterparts like OpenAI's ChatGPT. This remarkable achievement has sparked debate among AI experts, who see it as a challenge to efforts to curb China's high-tech ambitions.
DeepSeek, founded by hedge fund manager Liang Wenfeng, unveiled its R1 model last Monday along with a detailed paper explaining how to train a large-scale reinforcement learning (RL) model without relying on supervised fine-tuning (SFT) as a preliminary step. Within days, DeepSeek's app soared to the top of the iPhone free app charts in both China and the U.S., surpassing the once-dominant ChatGPT.
The release of DeepSeek's R1 model has ignited a heated debate in Silicon Valley about whether better-resourced U.S. AI companies, including Meta and OpenAI, can maintain their technological edge. Meanwhile, Liang has become a focal point of discussion in China. Last week, he was invited to a symposium in Beijing, where Chinese Premier Li Qiang sought opinions and suggestions from experts, entrepreneurs, and representatives across various sectors on a draft government work report.
About Liang Wenfeng
Liang Wenfeng graduated from Zhejiang University with a degree in Artificial Intelligence. In 2016, he co-founded the quantitative hedge fund High-Flyer, which quickly gained recognition for its innovative use of AI-driven trading strategies. By 2021, High-Flyer had fully integrated AI into its operations, utilizing machine learning models to predict market trends and make data-driven investment decisions.
In May 2023, Liang took a bold step by founding DeepSeek, aiming to advance research in artificial general intelligence (AGI). Unlike traditional for-profit ventures, DeepSeek was envisioned as a platform for long-term, fundamental research, where curiosity-driven exploration could drive meaningful advancements in AI.
Despite his growing influence, Liang has remained low-profile, granting interviews only to Anyong, a sub-brand of China's commercial tech media 36Kr, in 2023 and 2024. Below are translated excerpts from these interviews, offering a glimpse into his philosophy and vision.
DeepSeek's 'Long-Termism'
For Liang, DeepSeek is more than just a business venture; it's a passion project fueled by deep curiosity and a commitment to foundational research. He acknowledges that basic research often yields low immediate returns on investment, yet he is captivated by the challenge of exploring complex fields like finance and the potential of AGI. Liang's focus is on understanding the essence of human intelligence and the processes that underlie it, believing that such exploration is crucial despite the lack of immediate commercial incentives.
Reference(s):
Behind China's rising AI startup DeepSeek: Who is Liang Wenfeng?
cgtn.com
