The success of DeepSeek's open-source AI model underscores China's growing influence in global tech innovation, offering a blueprint for affordable and accessible solutions, said a tech media professional.
In an interview with China Global Television Network, Sophie Schmidt, founder of Rest of World, an American publication covering tech news in markets outside the developed West, discussed the tremendous impact of DeepSeek and its R1 model.
"I think DeepSeek and R1 in particular was an earthquake. It was a real wake-up call for the rest of the world. And so DeepSeek was impressive on a cost basis alone, but the fact that they made it open source really changed the game for, I think, AI entrepreneurs all over the world. All sorts of countries saw that moment and think, 'Aha! We can also participate and we don't have to make the same compromises or the same types of alliances that we might otherwise have to. Things are possible.' So I think it was a real win for the open source community in that respect," she said.
Founded by Schmidt in 2020, Rest of World has been closely following Chinese technology developments since its establishment.
"We've been reporting on Chinese technology for five years, as long as the publication has been alive. I used to work in China, so I know how talented China's engineers are, not just in AI, but in every form of technology you can imagine. Chinese engineering leads the world in so many capacities. So it's not surprising that their AI model, especially having to work around restrictions around chips and talent, that they would be able to produce something that was as valuable, as competitive, as capable and as affordable as what they've done. So I think now, the game is in a new place and I think that's really exciting for most of the world at this time," said the journalist.
Speaking from her own experience of working in China, she highlighted the Chinese tech sector's unique ability to create affordable, high-quality hardware and software at scale.
"I also think that the Chinese tech sector is unusually good at making affordable hardware and software. I used to work for Xiaomi a long time ago, and at the time it was a small startup, affordable smartphone player. And here it is making cars. The ability of Chinese companies to not only create really good quality products but also make them affordable and make them at scale, I think is really, probably the most important factor," Schmidt said.
She also emphasized the exceptional localization skills of Chinese entrepreneurs, especially when operating outside China.
"Chinese tech, in my experience, the entrepreneurs, especially when they're outside of China, they are really, really good at localizing. And that makes a huge difference because then people are able to use tools that are made for them and add on top of them. I think that's really exciting," she said.
DeepSeek's open-source AI model redefines global tech innovation: tech watcher
International guests who have dedicated their lives to historical truth joined China's 12th national memorial event honoring the hundreds of thousands of victims killed by Japanese troops in the Nanjing Massacre during World War II.
The memorial was held on Saturday at the public square of the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province. China's national flag was flown at half-mast in the presence the crowd that included survivors of the massacre, local students, and international guests.
In one of the most barbaric episodes during WWII, the Nanjing Massacre took place when Japanese troops captured the then-Chinese capital Nanjing on Dec 13, 1937. Over the course of six weeks, they proceeded to kill approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers.
Joining the crowd was Christoph Reinhardt, the great-grandson of John Rabe (1882-1950) who was then a representative of German conglomerate Siemens in the war-ravaged Nanjing. During the Nanjing Massacre, Rabe set up an international safety zone with other foreigners, and they together saved the lives of around 250,000 Chinese people between 1937 and 1938 from the Japanese invaders.
Throughout the massacre, Rabe continued to keep a diary. To this day, all his pages remain one of the most comprehensive historical records of the atrocities committed by the Japanese aggressors.
Sayoko Yamauchi, who was also in the crowd of mourners, arrived in Nanjing on Friday from Japan's Osaka to attend Saturday's ceremony, just as she has done almost every year since China designated Dec 13 as the National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre in 2014.
Yamauchi's grandfather was one of the Japanese soldiers who invaded Nanjing in January 1938. However, since first setting foot in Nanjing in 1987, she has dedicated herself to uncovering and spreading the truth about Japan's history of aggression and enlightening the Japanese public about their country's wartime atrocities.
In 2014, ahead of China's first National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, Yamauchi, along with 10 other individuals, received an award for her special contribution to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.
By attending the grand memorial event, Reinhardt and Yamauchi both said they hope to convey a message of remembering history and cherishing peace.
"This is my fifth visit to China, and Nanjing, and the third times I visited the ceremony. I have a wish that these survivors survive again and again and again. But my other wish is that the families of the survivors, that they transport the information, the right intention like their ancestors, because anyone must hold a hand (during) this remembering," Reinhardt told China Central Television (CCTV) in an interview before the event began on Saturday.
"Our delegation is on its 20th visit to China, coming to Nanjing to express our heartfelt condolences to those who perished 88 years ago, to remember this history, and to reflect on what we can do for a new future. That's why we are here," Yamauchi told CCTV on board the bus that took her to a local hotel in Nanjing on Friday evening.
Int'l guests call for remembering history at China's national event honoring Nanjing Massacre victims
