On Friday, a senior researcher representing DeepSeek—one of China’s most closely watched artificial intelligence enterprises—made an unusual and highly anticipated public appearance to deliver a serious warning about the far-reaching and potentially destabilizing consequences of rapid technological evolution. Speaking candidly at a panel held during the prestigious World Internet Conference in the historic town of Wuzhen, the researcher, Chen Deli, cautioned that within the next ten to twenty years, the transformative power of AI could displace a vast majority of existing human employment across industries. His remarks underscored an escalating concern not only among technologists but also among policymakers: that the very framework of global labor and social organization may soon face pressures unseen in modern history.
Chen elaborated that as artificial intelligence becomes progressively capable and autonomous, it will challenge long-standing institutions that sustain human society—from economic systems and educational models to social hierarchies and cultural norms. He emphasized that this sweeping transformation would not occur in isolation but would coincide with structural reconfigurations that could unsettle the basic order of communities and nations alike. In his words, the transition period would be fraught with uncertainty and turbulence as traditional roles and professions undergo dramatic alteration or obsolescence.
In response to these emerging risks, Chen appealed directly to the technology sector, urging companies not merely to pursue innovation for profit but to embrace a deeper moral obligation. According to him, technology firms must act as what he called the “guardians of humanity,” a term he used to convey their duty to ensure that progress in AI protects the safety, dignity, and long-term welfare of human beings. He explained that this guardianship involves two fundamental priorities: first, safeguarding humanity from harm—whether physical, psychological, or economic—and second, assisting in the reconstruction of a new social order that can successfully adapt to the profound disruptions wrought by intelligent machines.
DeepSeek itself has remained notably discreet and media-shy since rising to prominence earlier in the year. The company, headquartered in Hangzhou, became the subject of nationwide attention after its CEO, Liang Wenfeng, appeared publicly alongside China’s President Xi Jinping during a televised meeting in February. Since that appearance, Liang has withdrawn from public events, maintaining a deliberate silence that has only amplified curiosity about DeepSeek’s research direction and technological breakthroughs.
During the Wuzhen panel, Chen Deli appeared alongside executives from five other influential technology companies, collectively known in China as the “six little dragons” of artificial intelligence. This informal grouping includes major names such as Alibaba Cloud and Unitree Robotics—firms known for their aggressive research and development in robotics, machine learning, and large-scale data processing. The shared presence of these leaders highlighted not only China’s coordinated ambition in AI advancement but also the diversity of perspectives within its fast-growing tech ecosystem.
Chen observed that in the short term, the proliferation of artificial intelligence tools would likely yield a positive and even exhilarating phase of collaboration between humans and technology. He referred to this interval as the “honeymoon phase,” a metaphor capturing the initial period when AI, despite its sophistication, still depends on human input to generate meaningful work. During this phase, humans can harness AI as a powerful assistant to accelerate productivity, reduce costs, and expand creative and analytical capabilities. However, Chen warned that this phase would be fleeting. As AI systems grow more autonomous and capable—potentially within the next five to ten years—the benefits could gradually give way to substantial social and economic disruptions, including widespread job reductions and the redefinition of entire industries.
At that stage, Chen suggested, technology corporations must assume an even more proactive role by serving as whistleblowers and ethical sentinels, calling attention to possible dangers before they escalate into global crises. Transparency, responsible deployment, and rigorous self-regulation, he argued, must form the backbone of this new ethical compact between innovation and humanity.
DeepSeek’s meteoric rise reflects not only its technical achievements but also the broader geopolitical narrative unfolding between China and the United States. Since its major breakthrough earlier this year, the startup has come to symbolize China’s growing technological self-reliance and its determination to compete—and, in some domains, surpass—American innovation. This dynamic has intensified amid an ongoing U.S.-China rivalry over AI leadership, transforming DeepSeek into both a national emblem and a case study in global technological competition.
Founded in 2023, DeepSeek shocked the international AI community and disrupted financial markets when it unveiled its reasoning model, known as R1, in January. The company claimed that this model could perform at levels comparable to leading global products, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT o1 series, while operating at a fraction of their cost. This unexpected demonstration of both efficiency and capability reverberated through the AI industry, prompting questions about the shifting balance of technological power.
A few months later, in March, OpenAI addressed the U.S. government in a formal communication, acknowledging that although the United States remained ahead in AI development, the margin had begun to shrink rapidly due to competition from companies like DeepSeek. By August, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, unveiled a new family of large language models called GPT-oss, notable for their open-weight structure— a move many analysts interpreted as a strategic response to the expanding influence of Chinese open-source initiatives, particularly those promoted by DeepSeek and similar enterprises.
Ray Wang, research director for semiconductors and emerging technologies at the Futurum Group, noted in an interview that OpenAI’s GPT-oss project effectively “narrowed the gap” between the U.S. and China. He cited competitive benchmarks indicating that these models were approaching parity with their Chinese counterparts not only in performance metrics but also in scale and accessibility. However, Wang cautioned that if the United States failed to sustain momentum in open-source AI development, it risked ceding global influence to the Chinese ecosystem—especially as more international research institutions and developers might turn to Chinese models as standard frameworks for applications, experimentation, and academic study.
Taken together, Chen Deli’s warnings and DeepSeek’s technological ascent illuminate the dual nature of contemporary AI progress: a field of extraordinary promise intertwined with profound peril. With the potential to redefine work, reshape economies, and challenge ethical foundations, artificial intelligence demands not only innovation but also vigilance and wisdom from those leading its creation. In Chen’s view, the future of AI—and indeed the stability of human civilization—depends on whether those in charge of technological advancement are willing to act, not as profiteers, but as the steadfast guardians of humanity’s collective destiny.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/deepseek-researcher-chen-deli-china-jobs-ai-risk-tech-2025-11
