China's AI Ascent: DeepSeek, Constraints, and the Global Tech Race

Dan Wong, AI Forum Director at the Conference Board, discusses China’s rapid advancement in AI, centered on DeepSeek — a model that challenges Western competitors through cost-efficiency and an open-source approach. Drawing from running an AI startup in Hangzhou in 2014, Dan offers firsthand insights into China’s AI ecosystem. Key topics include how U.S. chip restrictions have paradoxically spurred Chinese innovation, the potential impact of smaller and more affordable models on global adoption, philosophical differences between Eastern and Western AI development, the implications of open-source versus proprietary models, and how businesses can adapt amid geopolitical tensions.