Zhipu AI Pursues AGI with Development of Sora-like Tech

In a recent development from Beijing, Zhipu Huazhang Technology Co. (Zhipu AI), a trailblazer in the realm of large language models (LLM) in China, has announced its ambitious project to create a technology akin to Sora, OpenAI’s text-to-video generator. This move is a significant indicator of China’s determination to bridge the technological divide with the United States in the fiercely competitive sector of artificial intelligence.

Zhipu AI’s venture into developing a counterpart to Sora, expected to be publicly available later this year, shines a light on the broader aspiration of Chinese firms to match and potentially surpass recent advancements in AI technology achieved by their American counterparts. The absence of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in China, due to it being a Microsoft-backed entity, has spurred local companies like Zhipu AI to intensify their efforts in this domain.

Zhang Peng, the CEO of Zhipu AI, shared insights with local media, expressing neither surprise at the development of Sora nor hesitation about his company’s endeavor to develop similar technology. Praising Sora’s advanced multi-modal capabilities, Zhang openly acknowledged the technological chasm between Sora and their current projects but remained committed to narrowing this gap through diligent effort.

Founded in mid-2019 by a group of computer science scholars from Tsinghua University, one of China’s most prestigious institutions, Zhipu AI quickly positioned itself at the forefront of exploring LLMs. This move predated the launch of OpenAI’s GPT-3 series, underscoring the company’s pioneering spirit. Zhipu’s founding was deeply rooted in the academic work conducted by Tsinghua’s Knowledge Engineering Group (KEG), with Zhang, a doctoral graduate and key member of KEG, at the helm.

In October, Zhipu AI announced a significant funding milestone, having raised 2.5 billion yuan (approximately $342 million). This financial backing comes from a consortium of China’s technological and venture capital giants, including Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holdings, Meituan, and Xiaomi. Venture capital firms such as HongShan (formerly Sequoia China) and GL Ventures, an arm of Hillhouse Capital, have also shown support for Zhipu’s initiatives.

Zhipu AI’s foray into generative AI saw the launch of ChatGLM in March last year. This product was among the first batch of generative AI services approved by the Chinese government, which exercises tight control over AI services, mandating local permits for public releases and limiting access to foreign-developed AI chatbots.

Despite the regulatory and technological challenges, Zhang remains optimistic about the potential for collaboration with international AI firms and is keen on exploring markets outside China. This global outlook underscores Zhipu AI’s ambition not only to compete internationally but also to establish a significant milestone for Chinese AI companies on the global stage.

The endeavors of Zhipu AI and similar companies highlight a broader trend in the global AI landscape, where innovation and collaboration across borders could pave the way for significant advancements. As China continues to push forward in its quest for technological parity with the US, the world watches closely to see how these efforts will shape the future of artificial intelligence and its application across various domains.

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