Now our intrepid China reporter, Caiwei Chen, has recognized a brand new pattern unfolding inside China’s tech scene: Firms that had been dominant in electrical autos are betting large on translating that success into growing humanoid robots. I spoke together with her about what she came upon and what it’d imply for Trump’s insurance policies and the remainder of the globe.
James: Earlier than we discuss robots, let’s discuss DeepSeek. The frenzy for the AI mannequin peaked a few weeks in the past. What are you listening to from different Chinese language AI firms? How are they reacting?
Caiwei: I believe different Chinese language AI firms are scrambling to determine why they haven’t constructed a mannequin as robust as DeepSeek’s, regardless of getting access to as a lot funding and assets. DeepSeek’s success has sparked self-reflection on administration types and renewed confidence in China’s engineering expertise. There’s additionally robust enthusiasm for constructing numerous functions on prime of DeepSeek’s fashions.
Your story appears at electric-vehicle makers in China which can be beginning to work on humanoid robots, however I need to ask a few loopy stat. In China, 53% of autos offered are both electrical or hybrid, in contrast with 8% within the US. What explains that?
Value is a large issue—there are numerous EV manufacturers competing at completely different worth factors, making them each reasonably priced and high-quality. Authorities incentives additionally play a giant position. In Beijing, for instance, buying and selling in an outdated automobile for an EV will get you 10,000 RMB (about $1,500), and that subsidy was lately doubled. Plus, discovering public charging and battery-swapping infrastructure is way much less of a trouble than within the US.
You open your story noting that China’s current New Yr Gala, watched by billions of individuals, featured a cast of humanoid robots, dancing and twirling handkerchiefs. We’ve covered how generally humanoid movies could be deceptive. What did you assume?
I might say I used to be comparatively impressed—the robots confirmed good agility and synchronization with the music, although their actions had been easier than human dancers’. The one trick that’s alleged to impress essentially the most is the half the place they twirl the handkerchief with one finger, toss it into the air, after which catch it completely. That is the signature of the Yangko dance, and having carried out it as soon as as a toddler, I can attest to how troublesome the trick is even for a human! There was some skepticism on the Chinese language web about how this was achieved and whether or not they used further reinforcement like a magnet or a string to safe the handkerchief, and after watching the clip too many instances, I are inclined to agree.
