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Chinese AI labs to challenge Thinking Machines Lab with new industry focus

Chinese AI labs Yoolee and InfiX.ai announced plans to challenge US start-up Thinking Machines Lab by focusing on industry-specific AI solutions, reduced costs, and enhanced privacy. The labs aim to help enterprises build self-evolving AI agents that generate tangible business value, moving away from the frontier AI race.

read1 min views1 publishedJul 14, 2026
Chinese AI labs to challenge Thinking Machines Lab with new industry focus
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AI labs Yoolee and InfiX.ai say they aim to rival US start-up with industry-specific AI solutions, reduced costs and enhanced privacy

Two former Chinese AI lab leaders said they aim to challenge Thinking Machines Lab, a US start-up founded by ex-OpenAI executive Mira Murati, and focus on building industry-specific artificial intelligence solutions and models following their exit from the fierce frontier AI race.

Zhipu AI, said in an interview with the South China Morning Post. the LEAP East exhibition in Hong Konglast week, Zhang said that while current AI models were “extremely powerful”, few major enterprises had seen AI generate tangible business value.

Yoolee AI, established last year with backing from venture capital firms including Lanchi Ventures, aimed to help companies build self-evolving AI agents capable of performing tasks that were currently too costly for human workers to do, according to Zhang.

Such AI agents, ranging from personal healthcare specialists to travel planners, could drive new revenue streams for businesses in these sectors, he said.

Zhang, who joined Beijing-based Zhipu as chief operating officer in 2023 before departing last year, described his new start-up as a combination of Thinking Machines Lab and Palantir, the latter a US data software giant that helps governments and large enterprises manage their AI systems.

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