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China’s universities get students up to speed on DeepSeek with new AI classes

The domestic start-up’s runaway success has led some higher education institutions to create course programming on applications of its AI model

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DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng, seen shaking hands with President Xi Jinping, has presided over a breakthrough in China’s artificial intelligence technology. Photo: Reuters
He Huifengin GuangdongandSylvia Main Hong Kong
In the wake of Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek’s overnight success, the country’s universities are racing to create courses centred on the home-grown firm shaking up the global AI industry.

Shenzhen University – located in China’s southern tech hub – has partnered with Tencent Cloud to introduce a general AI course based on DeepSeek, according to a Monday post on its official social media account. The class will be available to students starting this semester.

Similarly, Zhejiang University in eastern China has introduced an online course series themed around the company that is open to students, faculty and the general public. Its first session was held on Monday.

The course at Shenzhen University aims to help students gain a deeper understanding of the technology and its applications, the institution said in the social media post, adding its goal is to “promote the deeper integration and innovation” of AI in a variety of settings.

“The rapid introduction of DeepSeek-related courses in Chinese universities reflects the strong demand for AI from both the market and the public,” said Xu Hui, a researcher with the University of Jena in Germany and a specialist in China’s advanced manufacturing.

“DeepSeek has significantly promoted the application of AI across various sectors of Chinese society, with colleges and universities taking the brunt of the impact.”

I don’t think one or two courses will give me a very deep understanding or practical mastery of AI technology
Chloe Mei, Shanghai
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