China's AI Upstarts: How Z.ai Builds, Benchmarks & Ships in Hours, from ChinaTalk

This special ChinaTalk cross-post features Zixuan Li of Z.ai (Zhipu AI), exploring the culture, incentives, and constraints shaping Chinese AI development. PSA for AI builders: Interested in alignment, governance, or AI safety? Learn more about the MATS Summer 2026 Fellowship and submit your name to be notified when applications open: https://matsprogram.org/s26-tcr. The discussion covers Z.ai's powerful GLM 4.6 model, their open weights strategy as a marketing tactic, and unique Chinese AI use cases like "role-play." Gain insights into the rapid pace of innovation, the talent market, and how Chinese companies view their position relative to global AI leaders. Sponsors: Google AI Studio: Google AI Studio features a revamped coding experience to turn your ideas into reality faster than ever. Describe your app and Gemini will automatically wire up the right models and APIs for you at https://ai.studio/build Agents of Scale: Agents of Scale is a podcast from Zapier CEO Wade Foster, featuring conversations with C-suite leaders who are leading AI transformation. Subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts Framer: Framer is the all-in-one platform that unifies design, content management, and publishing on a single canvas, now enhanced with powerful AI features. Start creating for free and get a free month of Framer Pro with code COGNITIVE at https://framer.com/design Tasklet: Tasklet is an AI agent that automates your work 24/7; just describe what you want in plain English and it gets the job done. Try it for free and use code COGREV for 50% off your first month at https://tasklet.ai Shopify: Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at https://shopify.com/cognitive PRODUCED BY: https://aipodcast.ing CHAPTERS: (00:00) Sponsor: Google AI Studio (00:31) About the Episode (03:44) Introducing Z.AI (07:07) Drupu AI's Backstory (09:38) Achieving Global Recognition (Part 1) (12:53) Sponsors: Agents of Scale | Framer (15:15) Achieving Global Recognition (Part 2) (15:15) Z.AI's Internal Culture (19:17) China's AI Talent Market (24:39) Open vs. Closed Source (Part 1) (24:46) Sponsors: Tasklet | Shopify (27:54) Open vs. Closed Source (Part 2) (35:16) Enterprise Sales in China (40:38) AI for Role-Playing (45:56) Optimism vs. Fear of AI (51:36) Translating Internet Culture (57:11) Navigating Compute Constraints (01:03:59) Future Model Directions (01:15:02) Release Velocity & Work Culture (01:25:04) Outro