BEIJING, February 28th (AMSP/CGTN) – – In the global race for artificial intelligence leadership, China is rewriting the rules. From groundbreaking open-source models to revolutionary computing infrastructure… the country’s advances in A-I are believed to offer a blueprint for innovation and opportunity.
In a world full of disruptive technology, AI has turned what was once considered impossible into the promise of a better future. And China’s open-source, low-cost and vertical integration strategy is reshaping the global tech landscape.
China’s DeepSeek has shocked the tech industry and dominated AI discussions since the beginning of 2025.
With its open-source, advanced model, the chatbot has achieved performance parity with OpenAI at one-seventieth of the training cost, and just three-percent of the price. Chinese business insiders have praised its advantages and inclusivity.
“Precisely because of its low-cost and open-source attributes, the DeepSeek model now gives thousands of companies opportunities at transforming their vertical applications. This will play a very positive role in promoting the quality of the economy in the AI industry of our country,” Tuodao Medical Technology CEO Cheng Min said.
China’s tech giants like Tencent, Huawei and Alibaba have joined the wave by integrating DeepSeek’s AI services into their platforms to enhance the experience of users. And the disruptive impact expands beyond the sector.
Our correspondent Daniel Arapmoi travelled to Hangzhou city, the birthplace of DeepSeek, to find out how China’s AI technology could promote opportunities and greater levels of equality in Africa.
The AI solution is already fostering a new generation of Africa’s tech-savvy individuals— who are now part of the global digital conversation. “I believe there are millions of opportunities DeepSeek has to offer,” said Gilbert Kamau, AI Expert.
But the continent still has some catching up to do when it comes to AI penetration. “Many industries in developing economies such as Africa still face significant challenges in adopting new technologies. Tech companies like DeepSeek here in China are trying to bridge that gap by offering affordable AI solutions”, Daniel Arapmoi pointed out.
Yu Jing, an associate professor in AI and AI security at Minzu University, says China’s AI rise is underpinned by robust government support and strategic planning. “… The whole society is enabled to understand the development and application of artificial intelligence technology as much as possible, enhancing the public’s comprehension of intelligence which provides fertile ground for innovation in the field of artificial intelligence,” she underscored.
According to AI experts, DeepSeek has gained traction for its ability to automate complex tasks, analyze vast amounts of data and streamline operations across industries. “The focus on open source is allowing innovators to easily build solutions upon what DeepSeek is providing,” said Alfred Ongere, Founder and CEO of AI Kenya.
While the technology promises to boost productivity, critics argue that its rapid deployment could exacerbate unemployment rates, in a continent already grappling with economic challenges.
Zhen Rixin, the vice President of Lingyang intelligent Technology, a leading AI solution provider with partners in Ethiopia addresses these fears. “I tend to be more optimistic about this as we know the example in the past from generation to generation when a new industrial revolution comes in, people always have this type of worry that people might lose their jobs but what we see is that with increased productivity, people create whole new spaces, new kinds of jobs, et cetera. So I tend to believe that similar situation will happen,” he said.
For many in Africa, the question is not whether AI will shape the future, but how to ensure that future is inclusive and equitable.
While Chatbots help us to create articles, images and even films, what researchers ultimately hope to do is to link the virtual world to our physical world through embodied artificial intelligence, such as robots…
Reporter Dai Kaiyi shows a glimpse of the future in China’s tech hub Shenzhen. “PM 01 here can do all sorts of stuff, we just asked it for a favor, to film a footage for us, and it said yes. Of course, it didn’t actually make that decision—its designer did. To understand more, I visited the company behind it,” he said.
“We use end to end neural network skills and we use a deep reinforcement learning system. In stage one, when we design robotics, then we leverage everything that we need from the joint side and also from the motion side. Then they can come first together, much easier,” Yao Aiwen, Chief Marketing Officer of Shenzhen EngineAI Robotics Technology explained.
“When I give it a little nudge, it doesn’t just fall over or lose balance. It quickly adjusts itself, instantly knowing what happened, the staff here told me it’s a subconscious reaction. That quick response is thanks to balance algorithms and cutting-edge hardware design. And by making their technology open-source, the company believes they can speed up progress by getting more players involved,” Reporter Dai Kaiyi narrated.
“The SE 01 from day one that we launched that we tell everybody this is open source from the learning process, from the deep reinforcement learning coding, and also from the deployment coding. The reason why behind is we wanna to like lower cost for all the institution and university. For EngineAI, we wanted to open the fundamental coding for their future development use,” said Yao Aiwen.
These humanoid robots have made huge leaps in just a few years, thanks to AI-driven growth. And it’s not just one company in town. There are other market players like Ubtech, a Shenzhen-based firm listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. (Source: UBTECH Robotics).
Still, the road ahead isn’t easy. More standardized regulations are needed to integrate humanoid robots into existing systems. There’s also the challenge of securing capital and top engineering talent to stay ahead in this high-stakes race
“After ChatGPT, humanoid robots are the next big breakthrough. They’re already integrating into small-scale production and daily life. But key challenges remain—like solving core algorithms and improving critical components. Those are the bottlenecks we need to break through,” said Cao Zhongxiong, Assistant President and China Development Institute Director at the Digital Strategy and Economic Research Center.
A solid start, companies like EngineAI says much of its success at the moment comes from Shenzhen’s thriving tech ecosystem. Here, some of the world’s biggest tech firms are just blocks away, making it easy to team up and get things done fast. That proximity also helps cut down on research and development costs—a key advantage in such a competitive field.
“In some ways, we’re even ahead of the world. A strong supply chain fuels constant innovation, while diverse application scenarios drive real-world adoption. The future of humanoid robots could be shaped right here in China,” Cao Zhongxiong said.
Robots have now become one of China’s latest economic powerhouses. CGTN’s Reporter Liu Jiaxin also finds robotic dogs have evolved from a lab curiosity into a multi-billion-dollar revolution. “But these robo-dogs are outperforming real dogs now. I mean, my dog doesn’t do a backflip. So my question is, what’s the point of developing such difficult moves for them?,” he asked.
“Exactly. Normal dogs can’t jump very high, but robo-dogs can jump about 80 centimeters off the ground. Only by continuously improving their hardware capabilities can we lay a solid foundation when developing applications later,” replied Xiong Junjie, Director of Overseas Business at Deep Robotics.
Here’s where future gets fascinating. In this little robotic dog, there are 12 motors mimicking a real dog’s muscle. But this isn’t just cute technology. It performs like a collie, but it works as a veteran engineer. While real dogs sniff for treats, these machines sniff for survival—detecting gas leaks, mapping collapsed tunnels, and identifying power grid faults. In the 3-kilometer-long tunnel of Singapore’s SP group, China’s robot dogs have been used to patrol and inspect cable tunnels. What makes them even more popular is their budget-friendly cost. More than 95-percent of the technology and components of this ‘dog’ are domestically produced, including the chips.
“I feel China’s robots are superior to some of the competitive products from abroad in terms of product iteration speed, maturity, and cost. I believe their advantages will become more and more obvious over time,” said Zhong Jianguo, CEO of Roborack .
One step ahead of humanoids, robotic dogs are applied in the real world on a larger scale. Research shows the global market size of robo-dogs reached 1-point-2-billion US dollars in 2023, and it’s expected this number will quadruple by 2031, when more than 560,000 more flexible and intelligent ‘metal hounds’ will enter the market.
Indeed, robotics have already taken over some professions of either daily work or high mortality rate. You can find them wisely cleaning the floor in public places, or operating up on the high-voltage grid, inside distribution rooms and beneath the subway cars, checking and fixing electric power issue.
China’s AI-oriented ecosystem is in the making… though some companies have unfortunately been caught in the middle of the tech race between China and the US. But sanctions and competition is driving them to innovate. Here, reporter Yang Chengxi takes us on a journey to Chinese companies in the auto-driving arena.
LiDARs! In recent years, we are seeing them on many of China’s top EV models. It is a sensor that use pulsed lasers to accurately measure the distances to surrounding objects in real-time, thus helping the car make better autonomous driving decisions.
These drones deliver take-out food. The LiDAR sets on them are vital components that measure the drone’s distance from the ground as well as potential obstacles.
After years of industrial applications and competition, Chinese LiDAR manufacturers control over 70 percent of the global market. However, Chinese-based Hesai, the top company in the industry, was added to a warning list by the U.S. Department of Defense… While this does not equal an outright ban yet, the move has sent a chill down LiDAR makers in China.
Beyond these hardwares for autonomous driving, the AI-powered softwares that execute self-driving maneuvers are also an important area in the tech rivalry between China and America.
At the Auto China show, Chinese tech firm SenseTime presented its latest solution to use artificial intelligence to realize smart navigation. It’s a solution that doesn’t even use LiDARs. See, under current high-end autonomous driving solutions, the LiDAR sensors, radars and cameras collect copious amounts of real-time data…and for the system to correctly recognize and analyze what’s been collected, and execute corresponding driving maneuvers, developers need to write lines and lines of code to set rules for each possible scenario.
“If each scenario requires rule definition, it would need thousands of program engineers and consume a long time,” said SenseTime Co-Founder and Chief Scientist Wang Xiaogang.
The work of on-road rule-setting is relegated to an AI system, which condenses all visual input into something easily understood by an algorithm. “It is data-driven. Each module of autonomous driving, including perception, fusion, positioning, and control, is integrated using a single neural network,” Wang said.
The power of AI is expected to transform not only autonomous driving, but the cockpit experience as well. iFlytek was one of the earliest Chinese AI companies to roll out a ChatGPT-equivalent last year. Since today’s smart electric vehicles are already known as computers on wheels, iFlytek spared no time to port their voice AI into a car.
-Close the window, set the temperature at 25 degrees Celsius, and turn on seat massage.
-OK, all done! 【Chinese conversation between reporter and AI】
Oh, I’m feeling it…
Chinese tech companies rarely talk about the AI race. Their logic is more about self-reliance and collaboration, and that’s clear in the government’s “Made in China 2025” plan. The strategic initiative targets ten key sectors, including robotics, aerospace and new energy vehicles.
Over the course of a decade, there have been a number of success stories that have inspired developing economies.
The Two Sessions in March, China’s political season held in Beijing, is expected to chart a new plan for the future amid uncertainties. But one thing is certain among tech companies: more confidence, and openness
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