Z.ai: Inside a Top Chinese AI Lab

This episode, I talk with Zixuan Li at Z.ai, one of China's top AI labs and the company behind the popular GLM models. Zixuan is Z.ai's Director of Product for genAI strategy and global partnerships. We discuss Z.ai's newest flagship AI model, the challenges of building agentic AI models, and what their longer AI strategy looks like.00:00 Intro to Zixuan Li of Z.ai00:29 GLM-5.1, Z.ai's Newest Flagship Model04:34 Long Horizon Tasks08:33 GLM Family of Foundation Models14:30 Challenges in Developing Agentic AI Models19:37 Working with Chinese AI Chipmakers22:53 Open Source vs. Proprietary Models36:49 Life After IPO and Chasing AGI41:37 Z.ai's Global StrategyLinks:Z.aiGLM-5.1: Towards Long-Horizon TasksZixuan on X/TwitterFor transcripts and more, check out the High Capacity newsletter.