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
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1:16:09
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1:16:09
Jake Sullivan on Playing the Long Game
After five long years since his last ChinaTalk appearance, Jake Sullivan returns to the show!
We discuss…
Sullivan’s experience managing crises, implementing grand strategy, and cultivating leadership skills during the Biden administration,
The art of crafting aggressive industrial policy, from chips to rare earths to infrastructure,
The risk of miscalculation in the Taiwan Strait, and whether Pelosi’s Taipei visit was a mistake,
Russia’s nuclear brinkmanship and the development of Biden’s posture on Ukraine,
Whether Trump can succeed at ratcheting down tensions with China.
Check out Sullivan's new podcast, The Long Game (Apple, Spotify)
Reading recommendations:
Feeding Ghosts
The Social History of the Machine Gun
To Run the World
A reminder: this is the conversation I wanted to have with Jake, not the one you want to have. For other recent interviews that get more into the Biden administration around the withdrawal of Afghanistan, the pace of arming Ukraine, and America’s handling of Israel’s invasion of Gaza, see all these six other shows he’s done this year.
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1:10:55
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1:10:55
Second Breakfast: Acquisition Reform? Are We Really Doing It?
Justin and Eric cohost with Pete Modigliani and Matt McGregor, coauthors of the Defense Tech and Acquisition substack (https://defenseacquisition.substack.com/).
Chapters
16:24 The Future of Defense Technology and Startups
33:37 Cultural Shifts in Acquisition Practices
44:57 Taskers and Bureaucratic Inefficiencies
55:06 Vendor Lock and Software Solutions
Outtro music: more suno slop https://suno.com/s/FVtn90DmV8xuLcfp
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1:04:20
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1:04:20
Overfit: AI Lovers, Chinese Model Takeover, Vice Signalling, Hefei Model
Jasmine Sun (https://jasmi.news/), Nathan Lambert (https://www.interconnects.ai/), and special guest Afra Wang (https://afraw.substack.com/).
Our article on 'China makes AI girlfriends and America makes AI boyfriends' https://www.chinatalk.media/p/why-america-builds-ai-girlfriends
More on the Hefei model: https://hellochinatech.substack.com/p/china-hefei-model
05:53 ai
12:46 remorseful AI models
29:43 AI in porn
32:17 ai voice generation uncanny valley
34:55 good Chinese AI models and the hefei model
47:40 Vice Signaling
Outtro music: a suno song with kimi-generated generated lyrics called "A glitch in the gospel" https://suno.com/s/O8tIJ63c7t3NOEtO
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59:21
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59:21
Second Breakfast: Colby's Pigpen, Counter-UAS, Training, Eat like a Trumper (or Iranian Spy?)
we cooked better than cafe milano
00:00 Colby's trainwreck of a hearing + right wing DC food
16:42 Countering Drones
35:32 How to train seriously
Guests include:
Tony Stark, Army vet who writes https://www.breakingbeijing.com/
Justin McIntosh, former Green beret who writes https://justinmc.substack.com/
Eric Robinson, lawyer and Army vet who spent time in OSC, JSOC and the NCTC
Outtro music: more suno https://suno.com/s/hpZX8pdjirTsM5je
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Conversations exploring China, technology, and US-China relations. Guests include a wide range of analysts, policymakers, and academics. Hosted by Jordan Schneider.
Check out the newsletter at https://www.chinatalk.media/
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