SinoAI Insights

CISS

Welcome to SinoAI Insights—a podcast bringing you informed perspectives on artificial intelligence, policy, and global governance from China and beyond. In each episode, we speak with emerging scholars and leading experts to unpack how AI is shaping international order, economic transformation, and security debates. From Beijing to the world, this is SinoAI Insights.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    Beyond Kimi K3: Open-Source AI and the Next Frontier of AI Safety

    In July 2026, Moonshot AI released Kimi K3, an open-weight model that has become the world’s largest open-weight AI model to date. Kimi K3 has once again drawn global attention to the capabilities of China’s frontier AI models, while bringing the debate over open versus closed AI models into sharper focus. Previously, many in the industry believed that the future of advanced AI would belong almost entirely to closed models. However, in recent years, an increasing number of leading AI companies around the world have begun exploring open-weight approaches. What innovations and value do open models bring? To what extent can they be considered global public goods? What unique advantages does China’s open AI ecosystem possess? As models become increasingly powerful and develop agentic capabilities, what new security risks and governance challenges will emerge? And how can we establish more responsible evaluation mechanisms and governance frameworks? In this episode of SinoAI Insights, we invite two leading experts to examine these questions through the lens of Kimi K3. Together, they explore the driving forces behind the emerging shift toward open AI, examine the latest developments in AI safety evaluation, and discuss new governance frameworks for a future shaped by rapidly advancing frontier AI capabilities. 【Host】 ·XIAO Qian, Deputy Director, Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University 【Guests】 ·Tianhao CHEN, Tenured Associate Professor and Ph.D. Supervisor, School of Public Policy and Management and School of Law; Director of the Center for Law and Governance and Assistant Director of the Center for Science & Technology Development and Governance (THUSTDG), Tsinghua University ·Xiaojian (Luke) LI, Founder & CEO of Fangcun Leap; Ph.D. Candidate at the College of Artificial Intelligence, Tsinghua University 【Shownotes】 03:05 Starting from Kimi K3: Why Leading AI Companies Are Turning Toward Open Models? 05:17 The Value of Open Models: From Engineering Efficiency to Accelerated Innovation 06:45 Can Open Models Be Global Public Goods? 08:06  How China Became a Major Contributor to the Global Open-Source AI Ecosystem? 10:34 Governance Challenges Emerging from Increasingly Powerful Open Models 14:43 What 60 System Cards Reveal: Changing Trends in AI Safety Evaluation 19:45 The Value of Third-Party Evaluation and the Worrying Turn Toward Closed Benchmarks 22:17 Evaluating AI with AI: Automated Benchmark Repair and System Card Generation 24:41 Why Agentic Runtime Safety Is Becoming Increasingly Important? 26:56 Introducing Agent Safety Governance Framework 1.0 30:34 The Four Threat Layers and Seven Governance Pillars for AI Agents 34:47 How Abstract Governance Principles Can Be Translated into Actionable Implementation Mechanisms? 37:32 Global AI Safety Priorities for the Next Three Years 【Team】 Executive Producer: XIAO Qian Producers: WANG Yexu, LIU Yuan Podcast Editor: CAI Leyao Content Assistant: ZHANG Shuoning Graphics Designer: XU Ruijia

    Beyond Kimi K3: Open-Source AI and the Next Frontier of AI Safety

  2. Jul 22

    From Shanghai to the World: What Did WAIC 2026 Tell Us About the Future of AI Governance?

    As global AI governance enters a new institutional-building phase, the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) has delivered four landmark outcomes to foster a fair and rational global AI governance system. First, it advances global AI governance from conceptual initiatives to tangible implementation, focusing on building institutional cooperation platforms, expanding international collaboration channels, and translating governance concepts into practical measures. Second, it places AI safety at the heart of its agenda, coordinates development and security, balances innovation and regulation, and upholds human-centric, ethical principles to ensure AI development remains secure, reliable, and controllable. Third, the conference formally launches the World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO), strengthening the representation and voice of Global South countries in global AI governance. Fourth, China will offer 5,000 specialized AI training slots for developing countries to advance inclusive and equitable global AI development. Is China shifting from a participant in global AI rule-setting to a builder of global AI governance mechanisms? What gaps in existing global frameworks will WAICO address? What global value does AI capacity building for the Global South hold? Amid U.S.-China strategic competition, are there avenues for bilateral engagement with the new organization? In this episode of SinoAI Insights, we take the major outcomes of WAIC 2026 as our starting point to interpret China’s AI governance approach, analyze WAICO’s global positioning, and explore pathways for global AI safety regulation and viable models of multilateral AI cooperation amid U.S.-China strategic competition. 【Host】 ·XIAO Qian, Deputy Director, Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University 【Guests】 ·YAO Xu, Secretary-General, Center for Global AI Innovative Governance; Associate Professor, Fudan Development Institute, Fudan University ·George CHEN, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University; Senior Fellow, Centre for Civil Society and Governance, The University of Hong Kong; Former Managing Director, Public Policy, Greater China at Meta  【Shownotes】 03:12 Core Shifts and Three Defining Keywords of WAIC 2026 06:40 WAIC: Evolving from a Tech Expo to a Multilateral Platform for Global AI Governance 10:15 Why AI Capacity Building for Developing Countries Matters Globally 19:30 The Genesis of WAICO and Its Distinction from Existing International AI Governance Regimes 24:15 Perspectives of Global Tech and Industrial Sectors, as well as Regional Governance Bodies on WAICO 28:50 The Internal Logic Behind China’s Elevated AI Safety Agenda and International Interpretations 33:10 U.S. Perceptions of WAICO: A Geopolitical Instrument or a Multilateral Public Good 38:45 Prospects for Practical U.S.-China Cooperation Under the WAICO Framework 43:20 How WAIC and WAICO Reshape China’s Role in Global AI Governance 47:10 Key Global AI Governance Issues to Watch in the Coming Year  【Team】 Executive Producer: XIAO Qian Producers: LIU Yuan, WANG Yexu Podcast Editor: XU Ruijia Content Assistant: ZHONG Junwen Graphics Designer: CAI Leyao

    From Shanghai to the World: What Did WAIC 2026 Tell Us About the Future of AI Governance?

  3. Jul 13

    Strategic Stability in the Age of AI: Can We Build a More Constructive Future?

    Strategic stability has long been strongly correlated with nuclear deterrence policies. As we enter the age of AI, how should we re-examine strategic stability? AI is increasingly integrated into intelligence analysis, early-warning systems, command-and-control links, autonomous combat platforms, and military decision-making processes, creating new opportunities while also introducing new uncertainties. As decision cycles keep shortening and the transparency of military operations rises markedly, will AI strengthen strategic stability, or will it heighten the risks of miscalculation, escalate crises, and erode strategic trust? As China and the United States resume intergovernmental dialogue on AI, can the international community look forward to a safer and more stable future? How can international organizations represented by the United Nations pool forces from governments, industry, academia, and other stakeholders to address these challenges? Recorded on the sidelines of the 14th World Peace Forum, this episode of SinoAI Insights features two experts on AI governance and international security. Together, they explore the prospects and challenges of building strategic stability in the age of AI. 【Host】 ·XIAO Qian, Deputy Director, Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University 【Guests】 ·LU Chuanying, Professor, Vice Dean, School of Political Science and International Relations, Tongji University; Vice President, Shanghai Association for Artificial Intelligence and Social Development ·Yasmin AFINA, Researcher (AI), Security and Technology Programme, United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research 【Shownotes】 02:23 How Is AI Reshaping Traditional Assumptions About Strategic Stability? 08:38 New Strategic Instabilities Stemming from Military AI 15:02 Key Outcomes of the Informal Intergovernmental AI Consultations in Geneva 24:33 Development Progress of the UNIDIR Centre of Excellence on AI, Peace and Security 32:49 Pathways and Barriers for Chinese Tech Companies in Global AI Governance 35:08 The Significance and Priorities of the China-U.S. Intergovernmental AI Dialogue 39:24 Prospects for China-U.S. Cooperation from a United Nations Perspective 46:47 How to Build Strategic Trust Across Cultural Differences? 50:49 Five-Year Outlook on AI and International Security 【Team】 Executive Producer: XIAO Qian Producers: WANG Yexu, LIU Yuan Podcast Editor: ZHONG Junwen Content Assistant: DU Wanhong Graphics Designer: XU Ruijia

    Strategic Stability in the Age of AI: Can We Build a More Constructive Future?

  4. Jul 2

    Mythos and the New Frontier of AI Cybersecurity

    As the capabilities of cutting-edge AI models continue to advance by leaps and bounds, AI security concerns have expanded from social governance issues—such as bias, hallucinations, and misinformation—to encompass cybersecurity, the protection of critical infrastructure, and even national security. Recently, Anthropic’s Mythos model has drawn significant international attention for its enhanced capabilities in vulnerability discovery, attack chain simulation, and long-term autonomous tasks, highlighting concerns about AI-enhanced cyber capabilities. What technical barriers have these cutting-edge models overcome in terms of their cyber capabilities? How should pre-deployment security testing identify genuinely dangerous capabilities while avoiding the creation of new avenues for abuse? Do open-source models amplify risks, or do they provide the necessary conditions for independent auditing and defensive innovation? Against the backdrop of intensifying AI competition between China and the United States, can the two sides establish limited yet pragmatic cooperation? In this episode of SinoAI Insights, we will take the security controversies sparked by Mythos as a starting point to conduct an in-depth analysis of the risks, defenses, and potential for China-U.S. cooperation regarding cutting-edge AI cyber capabilities. 【Host】 ·XIAO Qian, Deputy Director, Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University 【Guests】 ·XU Wei, Vice Dean, Professor, Institute for Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, Tsinghua University ·FU Hongyu, Director, AI Governance Center and the Data Economy Center, Alibaba Research Institute 【Shownotes】 02:26 The Mythos Event as A Rehearsal for Future Frontier AI Safety Risks 05:17 Future AI Governance Focuses on "Use Control" 09:10 From Innovation to Control? How Mythos Reshapes the Landscape of US AI Policy 12:46 Chinese Perspectives on Frontier Model Evaluation, Cyber-Capability Thresholds, and AI Agent Risks 14:39 The Paradox of Model Safety: Testing May Create Even More Dangerous Models 18:05 Full-Lifecycle Governance Frameworks and China's Governance Approach 23:07 Using "Isolated Environments" to Ensure Safety and Confidentiality During Testing 25:49 Pros and Cons of the US Granting Limited Access to Mythos 27:48 Three Games Within the US Pre-Deployment Safety Review System 34:48 Risks and Value of Open-Weight Models 46:26 Prospects for US-China Coordination on Model Evaluation 【Team】 Executive Producer: XIAO Qian Producers: WANG Yexu, LIU Yuan Podcast Editor: XU Ruijia Content Assistant: CAI Leyao Graphics Designer: ZHANG Shuoning

    Mythos and the New Frontier of AI Cybersecurity

  5. Jun 15

    Military AI and the Geneva Talks: Can the Future of War Still Be Governed?

    As Artificial Intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in military systems, the form, tempo, and decision-making of warfare are undergoing profound transformation. From target identification and intelligence analysis to battlefield surveillance, command systems, and autonomous operations, these technological advances have also raised growing concerns over strategic stability, crisis escalation, human control, and the applicability of existing legal frameworks. Is AI simply making warfare more efficient, or quietly reshaping the logic of war itself? As military decision cycles keep shrinking and the principle of keeping humans “in the loop” faces mounting practical challenges, can humans still retain meaningful control over the use of force? At the same time, the international community has been advancing discussions on the governance of military AI within the United Nations framework. This week, diplomats and experts will reconvene in Geneva to discuss issues ranging from lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) and meaningful human control to risk mitigation and emerging international norms. Yet amid intensifying great-power competition, rapid technological iteration, and growing trust deficits, what discussions are underway in Geneva? Why has forging a global consensus remained elusive? Can international law keep pace with the evolution of military AI technologies? And as human-machine collaboration becomes increasingly complex, where should the red lines of future warfare be drawn? In this episode of SinoAI Insights, we invite three distinguished scholars specializing in military AI, strategic stability, and international humanitarian law to explore how AI is reshaping battlefield dynamics, transforming the logic of war, and identifying viable pathways to global governance. 【Host】 XIAO Qian, Deputy Director, Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University 【Guests】 LI Qiang, Associate Professor, China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL); Director, Military Law Institute QI Haotian, Associate Professor, Deputy Director, Center for International Security and Peace Studies (CISAP), Peking University (PKU) JIANG Tianjiao, Associate Professor, Development Institute of Fudan University; Research Fellow, Center for Global AI Innovative Governance 【Shownotes】 02:13 How Is AI applied in the Military Domain? 05:39 How to Distinguish AI-assisted Warfare from Autonomous Warfare? 09:23 Is AI Lowering the Threshold of War? 11:53 Can Today's International Legal Framework Keep Pace with the Development of Military AI? 15:24 What Lessons Can Early Arms Control Practices Bring to the Global Governance of AI in the Military Domain? 16:55 What Are the Topics and Significance of the Geneva Talks? 19:10 What Does "Responsibility" Mean in Military AI? 21:30 Meaningful Human Control or Symbolic Human Participation? 23:44 How Do Risk Characteristics Shape AI Competition and Cooperation? 26:33 The Key to Governance Coordination: Political Will or Technological Feasibility? 30:58 How Do Stakeholders Contribute to the Global Governance of AI in the Military Domain? 35:46 Where Lie the Practical Breakthroughs for Global Governance of military AI in the Next Five Years? 【Team】 Executive Producer: XIAO Qian Producer: WANG Yexu, LIU Yuan Podcast Editor: ZHANG Shuoning Content Assistant: XU Ruijia, DU Wanhong Graphics Designer: ZHONG Junwen

    Military AI and the Geneva Talks: Can the Future of War Still Be Governed?

  6. Jun 4

    The Infrastructure Behind AI: Energy, Data Centers, and the Future of Global AI Governance

    As artificial intelligence becomes the core technology reshaping the global order and economic landscape, the current narrative of competition largely focuses on algorithm breakthroughs, chip computing power and application implementation. What is rarely acknowledged is that the operation of all cutting-edge AI systems relies on the support of underlying infrastructure such as data centers, power networks, cloud platforms and subsea cables. Today, AI competition has expanded from the technological dimension to an all-encompassing contest over infrastructure, energy capacity and digital sovereignty, emerging as a new frontier of great-power strategic competition. Why is energy becoming the invisible bottleneck defining the upper limit of AI development? How will the global distribution of data centers reshape the geopolitical landscape? Will the "weaponization" of infrastructure supply chains inevitably lead to the fragmentation of the global AI ecosystem? Faced with shared infrastructure security risks, can countries explore viable cooperation paths amid competition? From the unique perspective of infrastructure, this episode of SinoAI Insights delves into the power shifts, geopolitical risks and future direction of global governance in the AI era. 【Host】 XIAO Qian, Deputy Director, Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University 【Guest】 George Chen, Distinguished Visiting Professor, Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University; Senior Fellow, Centre of Civil Society and Governance, University of Hong Kong; Former Managing Director, Public Policy, Greater China at Meta 【Shownotes】 02:11 AI competition is fundamentally rooted in infrastructure competition 06:11 Key factors influencing AI infrastructure investment site selection 10:00 Fragmentation risks of AI development and digital colonialism concerns 13:06 Strategic status of data centers and three models of digital sovereignty 17:21 Geopolitical risks to AI infrastructure investment: The Gulf case 20:56 Competition landscape of data centers in Asia-Pacific 28:43 Appeal of China's AI technologies to the Global South countries 31:43 Cooperation space and risk control paths in China-U.S. AI competition 35:20 From platform era to AI era 41:37 Attitude differences towards AI between Chinese and U.S. Gen Z and their impacts 【Team】 Executive Producer: XIAO Qian Producer: WANG Yexu, LIU Yuan Podcast Editor: DU Wanhong Content Assistant: ZHONG Junwen Graphics Designer: CAI Leyao

    The Infrastructure Behind AI: Energy, Data Centers, and the Future of Global AI Governance

  7. May 23

    Can AI Dialogue Rebuild Trust? China-U.S. Cooperation After Resuming Intergovernmental Dialogue on AI

    Over the past two years, discussions about artificial intelligence between China and the United States have increasingly been shaped by the narrative of strategic competition. Yet at the same time, AI is also creating shared risks that neither country can manage alone. During U.S President Donald Trump's visit to China, both leaders reached a consensus to resume governmental dialogue on AI. Can AI dialogue provide a new anchor for stabilizing China-U.S. relations? In an environment marked by intense competition, expanding controls, and insufficient mutual trust, what role can Track II exchanges play? As Artificial Intelligence is rapidly becoming a defining technology of the 21st century, maintaining channels of communication may itself become an important form of risk mitigation. In the second episode of SinoAI Insight, scholars and industry experts with extensive experience in Track II dialogues explore the significance of restarting China-U.S. intergovernmental AI dialogue, the practical impact of Track II dialogues, technological competition and the future of the industrial ecosystems, as well as prospects for bilateral cooperation on AI. 【Host】 ·XIAO Qian, Deputy Director, Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University 【Guests】 ·LU Chuanying, Professor, Vice Dean, School of Political Science and International Relations, Tongji University; Vice President, Shanghai Association for Artificial Intelligence and Social Development ·YAO Xu, Secretary-General, Center for Global AI Innovative Governance; Associate Professor, Fudan Development Institute, Fudan University ·FU Hongyu, Director, AI Governance Center and the Data Economy Center, Alibaba Research Institute 【Shownotes】 01:55 The significance of restarting China-U.S. intergovernmental dialogue on AI 05:37 The risks of embedding AI into early warning and C2 systems 08:42 Dialogue can increase policy predictability amid competition 10:30 Cooperation between tech communities: frontier model safety and open-source AI governance 13:05 Is Track II dialogue merely talking? 19:32 The importance of building shared terminology 21:31 How industry can contribute first-hand experience to Track II dialogue 27:25 AI dialogue is showing signs of institutionalization 29:21 Prospects for China-U.S. AI cooperation over the next five years 33:10 The signal released by restarting dialogue: competition and cooperation are not antagonistic against each other 40:40 Most important principle that should guide China-US relations in the AI era 【Team】 Executive Producer: XIAO Qian Producer: LIU Yuan, WANG Yexu Podcast Editor: CAI Leyao, LI Kaijuan Content Assistant: ZHANG Shuoning Graphics Designer: DU Wanhong

    Can AI Dialogue Rebuild Trust? China-U.S. Cooperation After Resuming Intergovernmental Dialogue on AI

  8. May 14

    Between Rivalry and Risks: AI and the Future of U.S.-China Relations

    As artificial intelligence rapidly evolves into the defining technology of the 21st century, it is reshaping the landscape of U.S.-China relations in unprecedented ways. How do leading Chinese experts assess the intersection of AI competition and shared security risks? What realistic opportunities exist for bilateral cooperation amid escalating strategic rivalry? And what frameworks can manage the existential threats posed by unregulated AI development? Recorded against the backdrop of President Donald Trump's visit to China, the first episode of SinoAI Insights, a new podcast launched by the Center for International Security and Strategy, Tsinghua University (CISS), explores the dual nature of AI as both a driver of great-power competition and a catalyst for necessary cooperation, offering a comprehensive Chinese perspective on the future of U.S.-China relations in the AI era. 【Host】 XIAO Qian, Deputy Director, CISS, Tsinghua University 【Guests】 SUN Chenghao, Fellow, CISS, Tsinghua University JIANG Tianjiao, Associate Professor, Development Institute; Research Fellow, Center for Global AI Innovative Governance, Fudan University GU Dengchen, Research expert on China's industrial policy; Non-resident Fellow, CISS, Tsinghua University 【Shownotes】 【01:53】 Expectations for the AI agenda at the summit 【05:30】 When AI meets the "nuclear button" 【07:23】 Shared U.S.-China AI risks under the shadow of chip export controls 【09:54】 Beyond "human-in-the-loop" paradigm 【12:55】 How to overcome the security dilemma of defensive R&D 【14:28】 Non-state actors and the misuse of AI 【17:53】 The three most urgent AI security frontiers shared by China and the U.S. 【20:49】 Chinese industry perspectives on AI risk and governance 【24:15】 Distillation: Technical Tool or Political ladder? 【27:17】 Will technological competition undermine scientific collaboration and open innovation? 【29:55】 In favor of functional cooperation to a unified governance architecture 【34:00】 What kind of crisis management mechanisms are more resilient? 【36:48】 Are Chinese scholars still optimistic about the future of AI governance? 【Team】 Executive Producer: XIAO Qian Producer: WANG Yexu, LIU Yuan Podcast Editor: WANG Yexu Content Assistant: ZHONG Junwen Graphics Designer: XU Ruijia

    Between Rivalry and Risks: AI and the Future of U.S.-China Relations
  • 8 Episodes

About

Welcome to SinoAI Insights—a podcast bringing you informed perspectives on artificial intelligence, policy, and global governance from China and beyond. In each episode, we speak with emerging scholars and leading experts to unpack how AI is shaping international order, economic transformation, and security debates. From Beijing to the world, this is SinoAI Insights.

Information

  • Creator
    CISS
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © CISS
  • Show Website
    SinoAI Insights

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