Editor's Note: In the world of artificial intelligence (AI), Liang Wenfeng and his creation, DeepSeek, emerge as a \"mysterious force from the East\". In this special series, we explore the power of innovation and its global impact. In this article, we take you behind the scenes to discover the man behind DeepSeek, his ideology, and his journey.
DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence lab based in Hangzhou, in the Zhejiang province of eastern China, has shaken Silicon Valley with the launch of its next-generation model, trained at a fraction of the cost of conventional models like OpenAI's ChatGPT. This breakthrough has drawn criticism from many online AI experts, who have described it as \"counterproductive\" to the U.S. attempt to curb China's technological ambitions.
Founded by hedge fund manager Liang Wenfeng, DeepSeek unveiled its R1 model last Monday, accompanied by a detailed paper explaining how to train a large-scale reinforcement learning model without relying on supervised fine-tuning as a preliminary step.
Within days, DeepSeek's app soared to the top spot on the iPhone free app charts in both China and the U.S., surpassing the once-dominant ChatGPT.
The launch of DeepSeek's R1 model has ignited intense debate in Silicon Valley about whether the better-equipped AI companies in the U.S., 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 from various sectors—including education, science, culture, health, and sports—on a draft of the government's work report.
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.
In May 2023, Liang took a bold step by founding DeepSeek, aiming at research focused on AI and advancing the field of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Unlike traditional for-profit companies, DeepSeek was conceived as a platform for long-term fundamental research, where curiosity-driven exploration could lead to significant AI breakthroughs.
Liang Wenfeng has maintained a low profile, granting interviews only to Anyong, a sub-brand of China's business-tech media 36Kr, in 2023 and 2024. Below are translated excerpts from these interviews, offering insight into his philosophy and vision.
DeepSeek's 'Long-termism'
For Liang, DeepSeek is more like a side project or hobby, driven by deep curiosity and a commitment to fundamental research. He acknowledges that basic research often yields low immediate investment returns; however, he finds himself captivated by the challenge of exploring complex fields such as finance and the potential of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Liang's focus is on understanding the essence of human intelligence and the processes underlying it, believing that such exploration is crucial despite the lack of immediate commercial incentives.
🧠✨ \"It's not just about creating advanced technology but truly understanding how we think and learn. That's the real adventure\", Liang notes in one of his rare interviews.
With DeepSeek's rapid rise and its R1 model, Liang Wenfeng could be ushering in a new era in AI research. His focus on \"long-termism\" and fundamental research could inspire a new generation of innovators to look beyond immediate profits and focus on breakthroughs that could reshape our future.
🌍🚀 Are you ready to closely follow this technological revolution? Stay tuned for more updates on DeepSeek and the fascinating world of AI!
Reference(s):
Behind China's rising AI startup DeepSeek: Who is Liang Wenfeng?
cgtn.com
