How human capital is driving China’s emergence as a global AI powerhouse

Episode 1: The talent engine

For years, the world has dismissed China's tech ambitions with many believing the industry had hit a glass ceiling. Then came the launch of Chinese AI company DeepSeek’s first ultra-efficient reasoning model in January 2025. The debut did more than just rattle Silicon Valley. It exposed the limitations of Western strategies to contain the sector and may have been a catalyst for a new wave of self-sufficient innovation in China.

In this three-part series, Post tech desk journalists take you inside the After DeepSeek era. They discuss why old assumptions about China's technological prowess no longer apply, and what recent changes mean for the nation’s tech talent pool, the global AI race and China's tech-first future.

For years, the world has dismissed China's tech ambitions with many believing the industry had hit a glass ceiling. Then came the launch of Chinese AI company DeepSeek’s first ultra-efficient reasoning model in January 2025. The debut did more than just rattle Silicon Valley. It exposed the limitations of Western strategies to contain the sector and may have been a catalyst for a new wave of self-sufficient innovation in China. In this three-part series, Post tech desk journalists take you inside the After DeepSeek era. They discuss why old assumptions about China's technological prowess no longer apply, and what recent changes mean for the nation’s tech talent pool, the global AI race and China's tech-first future.

For years, the world has dismissed China's tech ambitions with many believing the industry had hit a glass ceiling. Then came the launch of Chinese AI company DeepSeek’s first ultra-efficient reasoning model in January 2025. The debut did more than just rattle Silicon Valley. It exposed the limitations of Western strategies to contain the sector and may have been a catalyst for a new wave of self-sufficient innovation in China.

In this three-part series, Post tech desk journalists take you inside the After DeepSeek era. They discuss why old assumptions about China's technological prowess no longer apply, and what recent changes mean for the nation’s tech talent pool, the global AI race and China's tech-first future.

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Episode 1: The talent engine

Episode 1: The talent engine