Zhipu AI has ignited a new chapter in China’s artificial intelligence race. On March 31, 2025, the startup launched its free AI agent called AutoGLM Rumination. This bold move directly challenges the country’s biggest tech players and raises the bar for innovation, accessibility, and scale in the generative AI space.
The Launch that Stirred the Market
Zhipu AI introduced AutoGLM Rumination as a powerful AI agent capable of executing complex tasks such as web searches, travel planning, business analysis, and academic research writing. This agent taps into the company’s proprietary large language model (LLM), GLM, which Zhipu AI has refined for years.
The launch drew immediate attention across China’s tech circles. Industry analysts saw the move as an open declaration of war against giants like Baidu and Alibaba, who have also rolled out generative AI platforms. However, by offering its AI agent for free, Zhipu AI undercut the pricing models of these established firms and positioned itself as a bold disruptor.
Features that Set AutoGLM Rumination Apart
AutoGLM Rumination performs more than basic chatbot functions. It doesn’t merely answer questions — it executes tasks. Zhipu AI designed the agent to act like a virtual assistant, giving it the capability to perform multi-step processes. For instance, users can ask it to research stock trends, summarize news from multiple sources, create a financial plan, and format the results into a professional report.
Zhipu AI trained the model to handle domain-specific tasks as well. Researchers can ask the agent to write literature reviews, compare academic findings, or build structured drafts with citations. Students can generate well-organized notes from textbook chapters, while professionals can task the agent with writing detailed business proposals. All of this comes from a single, unified platform — and users don’t pay a cent.
Zhipu AI’s Strategic Masterstroke
By releasing AutoGLM Rumination as a free service, Zhipu AI executed a calculated strategy. The company knew it couldn’t beat Baidu’s ERNIE Bot or Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen on funding alone. But it could compete on accessibility, speed, and community adoption.
Zhipu AI deliberately chose a low-barrier entry point to attract developers, researchers, students, and everyday users. As more people try the agent, Zhipu gathers massive datasets from user interaction. That helps the company refine its models faster — and with more real-world feedback than its competitors.
This approach mirrors tactics used by global AI leaders like OpenAI and Anthropic. In essence, Zhipu didn’t just launch a product. It launched a growth engine.
The Technology Behind the Agent
Zhipu built AutoGLM Rumination on its flagship language model, GLM-4, which it unveiled earlier this year. The model rivals GPT-4 in complexity and scope. It processes both Chinese and English with high fluency. Engineers at Zhipu trained the model using open-source datasets and fine-tuned it using reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF).
The AI agent integrates with browsers, search engines, and productivity tools. It also uses plug-ins to enhance real-time capabilities, including up-to-date weather, travel information, stock data, and more. Users can customize task flows, choose tones, and select response formats — from outlines and essays to PowerPoint slides.
China’s AI Ecosystem Reacts
Zhipu’s launch sent shockwaves through China’s rapidly growing AI ecosystem. Other startups began re-evaluating their product roadmaps, pricing, and go-to-market strategies. Investors praised Zhipu’s boldness but warned of mounting pressure on smaller firms.
Baidu responded by releasing a lighter, faster version of ERNIE, and Alibaba started offering free trials for its AI assistant. Meanwhile, Tencent’s Hunyuan model team rushed out a new update focused on speed and cost efficiency.
However, most experts agree that Zhipu achieved what many startups only dream of: it dictated the market’s tempo. Instead of chasing trends, it created one.
Global Implications
Zhipu’s move didn’t stay confined to China. Developers and analysts in the U.S., India, and Europe began experimenting with AutoGLM Rumination via VPN access. Some even dubbed it the “Chinese ChatGPT Agent,” albeit with task-based intelligence instead of just conversational flair.
Western companies watched closely. They realized that Chinese AI startups were no longer just following their lead — they were setting benchmarks. Zhipu’s free AI agent disrupted not only domestic competitors but also global perceptions about where innovation originates.
Challenges Ahead
Despite the enthusiasm, Zhipu AI faces enormous challenges. Operating a free AI agent at scale demands significant computing power. Zhipu currently uses domestic GPU clusters, but with rising demand, supply limitations could hit hard. The Chinese government has imposed new regulations on AI data handling, and Zhipu must navigate those carefully.
Additionally, monetization remains a looming question. While the company attracts users with free tools, it must develop a revenue model that sustains growth. Some insiders suggest Zhipu will roll out enterprise-grade versions of AutoGLM Rumination with custom APIs, enhanced security, and vertical-specific optimizations.
Zhipu must also guard against misinformation, bias, and malicious use of its agent. Already, critics have raised concerns about unchecked content generation and plagiarism. To mitigate these risks, Zhipu plans to introduce user-level moderation and academic-use disclaimers.
What This Means for China’s AI Race
China has aggressively backed AI development as part of its national tech agenda. Zhipu AI’s rise exemplifies this strategy in action. Founded by alumni from Tsinghua University and backed by heavyweight investors like Ant Group and Meituan, the startup has matured at a blistering pace.
Now, it stands at the forefront of a new generation of Chinese AI firms — agile, ambitious, and ready to compete globally. Zhipu’s latest release marks more than just a product launch; it signals a new battleground in AI — one where speed, utility, and access determine dominance, not just scale and funding.
The Road Ahead
Zhipu AI plans to roll out additional capabilities for AutoGLM Rumination, including voice interaction, image interpretation, and even robotic process automation (RPA). It also announced a developer fund to support third-party plug-in creation, ensuring a growing ecosystem around the agent.
As Chinese startups lean into generative AI, Zhipu has carved out a leadership role. It no longer plays catch-up. Instead, it races ahead — free agent in hand — daring others to follow.
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