An artificial intelligence lab based in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, has set Silicon Valley abuzz with the release of its state-of-the-art model, trained at a fraction of the cost of mainstream models such as OpenAI's ChatGPT. The breakthrough by DeepSeek has drawn attention and sparked debates about China's advancing AI capabilities.
Founded by hedge fund manager Liang Wenfeng, DeepSeek unveiled its R1 model last Monday. Accompanied by a detailed paper, the model demonstrates how to train a large-scale reinforcement learning (RL) system 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 United States, surpassing the once-dominant ChatGPT. The release of the R1 model has ignited discussions in Silicon Valley about whether better-resourced U.S. AI companies, including Meta and OpenAI, can maintain their technological advantage.
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—including education, science, culture, health, and sports.
About Liang Wenfeng
Liang Wenfeng graduated from Zhejiang University with a degree in Artificial Intelligence. He co-founded the quantitative hedge fund High-Flyer in 2016, which quickly gained recognition for its innovative use of AI-driven trading strategies. By 2021, High-Flyer had fully integrated AI into its operations, using 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 the field of 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.
Liang's Philosophy
Liang has remained low-profile, granting interviews only to Anyong, a sub-brand of China's commercial tech media 36Kr, in 2023 and 2024. In these interviews, he shared insights into his philosophy and vision.
For Liang, DeepSeek is more of a passion project, driven 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.
DeepSeek's rapid ascent reflects China's growing influence in the global AI landscape. As the debate continues over technological advantages and advancements, Liang Wenfeng and his team at DeepSeek exemplify the innovative spirit driving progress in artificial intelligence.
Reference(s):
Behind China's rising AI startup DeepSeek: Who is Liang Wenfeng?
cgtn.com
