Chinese artificial intelligence startup Zhipu AI has unveiled a free AI agent, AutoGLM Rumination, aiming to strengthen its position in China’s competitive AI landscape.
At a launch event in Beijing, CEO Zhang Peng introduced AutoGLM Rumination, highlighting its capabilities in performing deep research, executing web searches, assisting with travel planning, and generating research reports. The AI agent is powered by Zhipu’s proprietary models, including the reasoning model GLM-Z1-Air and the foundation model GLM-4-Air-0414.
Zhipu AI asserts that GLM-Z1-Air matches the performance of DeepSeek’s R1 model while operating up to eight times faster and requiring only one-thirtieth of the computing resources.
Competition in China’s AI Market
The launch follows a surge of AI product releases in China, spurred by DeepSeek’s introduction of a cost-efficient model earlier this year. Competitor Manus recently gained attention for launching what it claims to be the world’s first general AI agent, priced at up to $199 per month. In contrast, Zhipu AI is offering AutoGLM Rumination free of charge through its official website and mobile app, making advanced AI tools more accessible to users.
Zhipu AI’s Growth and Government Support
Founded in 2019 as a spinoff from Tsinghua University, Zhipu AI has rapidly emerged as a key player in China’s AI sector. The company has developed the GLM series of models, with its latest large language model, GLM-4, reportedly outperforming OpenAI’s GPT-4 on several benchmarks.
In recent months, Zhipu AI has secured significant government-backed funding. The company raised more than 1 billion yuan ($137 million) in new funding, following a previous investment of 3 billion yuan, with participation from state-backed entities like Hangzhou City Investment Group Industrial Fund and Shangcheng Capital. Additionally, the city of Chengdu invested 300 million yuan ($41.5 million) into the company.
Strategic Partnerships and Future Outlook
Zhipu AI has attracted investments from major Chinese tech companies, including Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holdings, Ant Group, Meituan, and Xiaomi Corp. These strategic partnerships not only provide financial support but also offer opportunities for collaboration and integration of Zhipu’s AI technologies across various platforms and services.
Despite facing challenges such as being added to the U.S. Commerce Department’s export control entity list in January, which restricts access to U.S. components, Zhipu AI continues to advance its AI capabilities and expand its market presence.
With the release of AutoGLM Rumination, Zhipu AI aims to solidify its position in China’s AI sector and drive innovation in autonomous AI agents, contributing to the broader development of artificial intelligence technologies in the country.
