Kai-Fu Lee — 01.AI, Yi Models and China's Open-Source Push

Kai-Fu Lee on building 01.AI, the Yi model family, how China's AI ecosystem is evolving under export controls and the case for open weights.

A famous AI investor from China explains how his new company is building powerful AI models that anyone can download and use for free.

1. 1Chinese frontier labs are closer to US labs than headlines suggest.
2. 2Open weights accelerate ecosystem growth — especially in emerging markets.
3. 3Export controls are pushing efficient training research.
4. 4Applications, not model race, will define China's AI decade.
5. 5Talent density beats capital in early-stage AI startups.

• model
  Yi-34B