Gordon Saft reports on China's AI and robotics dynamism

Gordon Saft, Editor-in-Chief of Rest of World, recently returned from a business trip to China alongside a delegation of leaders in media, technology, public policy, and finance. The mission aimed to gain deeper insights into China's AI and robotics industries.

Saft noted that while political institutions and contexts differ significantly between the United States and China, the technological landscape in China felt surprisingly familiar rather than entirely distinct. He observed a stark contrast in sentiment: while discussions in European cities often center on stagnation and instability, China exhibits a high level of dynamism and technological optimism.

The visit occurred 18 months after the release of DeepSeek, which shifted the landscape of open-source AI. Saft highlighted that despite the perceived competition between two different models of AI development, the similarities in technological momentum were more surprising than the differences.