Behind China's Rising AI Startup DeepSeek: Who Is Liang Wenfeng?
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 has drawn criticism from many AI experts online, who describe it as \"counterproductive\" to the U.S.'s attempt to curb China's high-tech ambitions.
A New Contender in AI: DeepSeek's R1 Model
DeepSeek, founded by hedge fund manager Liang Wenfeng, unveiled its R1 model last Monday, accompanied by a detailed paper outlining 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 the 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 advantage.
Who Is 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.
DeepSeek's 'Long-Termism'
In May 2023, Liang took a bold step by founding DeepSeek, aiming at AI-focused research in advancing 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.
For Liang, DeepSeek is more like a side project or hobby, 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.
A Rising 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. However, his impact is becoming increasingly significant. 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—on a draft government work report.
As DeepSeek continues to challenge the status quo in artificial intelligence, both in China and globally, the enigmatic figure of Liang Wenfeng stands at the forefront of a new wave of innovation. His commitment to long-term, foundational research may well shape the future trajectory of AI development.
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Behind China's rising AI startup DeepSeek: Who is Liang Wenfeng?
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