High Capacity

Can the US and China agree to slow down AI development—or even agree on what counts as an AI risk?In this episode of the High Capacity podcast, I talk with Kendra Schaefer, partner and head of tech policy research at Trivium China, about China’s approach to AI safety. We discuss AI service registration, the regulatory gaps around open-weight releases and AI agents, and why Chinese policymakers may see some risks differently from their US counterparts. We also explore where US-China cooperation on AI safety might begin.Topics covered:Why China does not necessarily see regulation as a slowdownAnthropic’s calls to slow frontier AI developmentChina’s AI service registration and safety testing processThe challenge of regulating open-weight model releasesAI agents, incident reporting, liability, and traceabilityHow China assesses technical, social, and geopolitical AI risksWhat the US and China could discuss in an AI safety dialogueFollow Kendra Schaefer and explore Trivium Tech. You can also sign up for Trivium’s free daily brief.For episode transcripts and more, check out the High Capacity newsletter.

Is the U.S.–China AI competition really a winner-take-all race to AGI? Why has China embraced open-source AI? And are the biggest frontier models actually the greatest security threat?In this episode, I speak with Alvin Wang Graylin, a Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, a Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, a professor of AI and technology policy at the University of Washington, and co-author of Our Next Reality.We discuss:• China’s AI strategy and its focus on spreading AI throughout the economy• Why the “decisive strategic advantage” theory may misread the U.S.–China AI relationship• The prisoner’s dilemma, the stag hunt, and the case for cooperation on AI safety• China’s open-source AI ecosystem and the debate over open versus closed models• Why small, specialized AI systems may pose greater security risks than frontier models• How export controls may be accelerating Chinese AI innovation• China’s push into robotics, manufacturing, and physical AI• How China’s technology industry has changed over the past three decadesRead Alvin’s essays, “Misdiagnosing the U.S.–China AI Race” and “The Biggest AI Models Are Not the Biggest Threats.”You can also follow Alvin on X and LinkedIn, or read his Substack, The Abundanist.For transcripts and more information, visit the High Capacity newsletter.Follow host Kyle Chan on X.

How do users in China get access to Claude and ChatGPT through the gray market? What’s really driving China’s apparent “AI optimism”? How is China trying to deal with deepfakes and AI-generated content?In this episode, I speak with Zilan Qian, a researcher at the Oxford China Policy Lab about the hidden side of China’s AI boom, including:How Chinese users use “transfer stations” to access American AI models like Claude and ChatGPTWhy Chinese users still want to use Claude and ChatGPT even though there are strong Chinese modeWhy China’s apparent AI optimism is really driven by anxiety about falling behindChina’s push to label AI-generated content—and the problems with watermarks, detection, and false positivesLinks:Zilan’s Oxford pageZilan on Substack and Twitter / XHow to Buy Cheap Claude Tokens in ChinaChina’s AI optimism isn’t what it seemsLabelling AI-Generated Content in China

How did China build a world-leading EV industry? China didn't just pick winners. Local governments and private entrepreneurs played a critical role alongside a broader national push into batteries and electric vehicle technology.In this episode, I talk with Fengming Lu, an assistant professor at Australian National University, about China's decades-long effort to build a world-class auto industry, its pivot to EVs, and what lessons other countries might learn.We discuss:• How Chinese local governments act like VC investors• What China learned from foreign automakers like GM, Volkswagen• The rise of upstarts like Geely, Chery, and BYD• What caused a wave of Chinese EV startups like NIO, Xpeng, Li Auto• The "Hefei model"Links:• The Rise of China’s Electric Vehicle Industry: Strategic Alliances Between Local Governments and Private Capital• Fengming's personal website• Fengming on Twitter / XFor transcripts and more information, check out the High Capacity newsletter.Follow host Kyle Chan on Twitter / X

Why is China’s biotech industry advancing so quickly? I talk with Abigail Coplin of Vassar College to unpack China’s biotech strategy, BGI, genomics, AI-driven drug discovery, gene therapies, biotech regulation, and what the U.S.-China biotech race means for innovation, national security, and the future of medicine.Why has China emerged so quickly as a global biotech powerhouse?What gives Chinese biotech companies an edge over their Western competitors?How did BGI become one of the world’s most influential genomics companies?Why are China’s gene and cell therapies advancing so rapidly?What should U.S. policymakers know about China's biotech industry?Links:Abigail’s academic profileAbigail’s policy paper for the Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations: “Getting Biotechnology Right: Managing Risk and Reward Between the U.S. and China in the Life Sciences”Yu Zhou and Abigail Coplin. 2022. “Innovation in a Science-Based Sector: The Institutional Evolution behind China’s Emerging Biopharmaceutical Innovation Boom.” The China Review.For transcripts and more information, check out the High Capacity newsletter.Follow host Kyle Chan on Twitter / X.