Robert B. Zoellick, former World Bank president and former US deputy secretary of state, expressed hope that both the United States and China will emerge as leaders in the field of artificial intelligence.

In a recent interview with China Daily, he said he finds the success of DeepSeek particularly intriguing. He sees the success not solely in the context of China-US competition, but rather in its ability to herald a new phase for artificial intelligence.

Zoellick noted that in the past year the predominant focus was on building very expensive large language models, which are both capital and energy-intensive. But DeepSeek signifies a phase shift not only for China but also for other nations. "It's showing how you can develop methods in a lower-cost way," he said.

While recognizing that the US and China may have differing approaches in this realm, Zoellick emphasized that innovative ideas transcend borders, paving the way for transformative developments in the field of artificial intelligence.