Zhihu's "Ten Internet Questions" Revelation: One Platform, Three Rounds of Inquiry, and a Thirteen-Year Code of the Times

In 2012, when it had been around for less than two years, Zhihu already drew heavyweights like Pony Ma, Kai-Fu Lee, and Kevin Kelly to launch its first "Ten Questions for the Internet" — ten fundamental questions about the internet and the fate of humanity that sparked a wave of intellectual discourse that year. In 2018, Zhihu once again assembled industry luminaries for a second round of ten questions. By then, Zhihu had become an "information high ground" on the Chinese internet and one of the most active Q&A platforms.

In 2025, the third "Ten Questions for the Internet" arrives — with the theme "Internet Disruptors."

From the germination and shakeout of mobile internet all the way to the rise of large language models and artificial general intelligence, this third iteration of questions lands once again on Zhihu — the platform with the most questions and highest professional standards on the Chinese internet. It also reflects a distinctive sense of timing: while most events are held annually, Zhihu opts for an irregular, high-caliber approach, stepping forward at critical junctures to pose the questions the era demands.

That's why each edition of "Ten Questions for the Internet" carries milestone significance.

🤹‍♂️ The three iterations of "Ten Questions for the Internet" resemble both a trilogy and a public intellectual experiment spanning more than a decade.

From initial curiosity and tentative exploration, through a middle period of fervor and collision, to the present focus on AI as a foundational transformation — each round of questions reflects the "unfinished questions" of its era, stringing together the rushing river of internet development. Perhaps, they are also a mirror through which to glimpse the future.

In the AI era, answers seem to be "within reach," yet truly high-value "questions" are growing increasingly scarce. Figuring out how to pose a good question that captures the pulse of the times, combining foresight with insight, may be even harder and more precious than obtaining answers. This is perhaps why Zhihu has persisted in using "questions" to gather collective thought: when we possess more and more "answer" tools, the ability to ask good questions is what truly defines the "disruptive" path to the future.

The Third "Ten Questions for the Internet": A Global Dialogue on AI

This year's "Ten Questions for the Internet" brings together heavyweight guests from business, culture, technology, investment, media, and other fields:

• Ning Wang, founder of Pop Mart
• Wang Puzhong, CEO of Meituan's Core Local Commerce
• Ma Jiahui, cultural scholar
• Wei Qing, CTO of Microsoft China
• Julien Chaumond, co-founder and CTO of Hugging Face
• Guan Qingyou, president of the Financial Research Institute
• Li Zhuyan, partner at YiBai Capital
• Liu Weiguang, senior vice president of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group and president of the Public Cloud Business Unit
• Ding Jiao, co-founder of the podcast brand Sheng Huo Huo Po
• Zhou Yuan, founder and CEO of Zhihu

Maintaining its characteristic forward-looking perspective, Zhihu focuses on pivotal issues in internet evolution, with questions and discussions spanning technology, markets, culture, business models, and other dimensions.

Intellectual Crossfire Between Chinese and American AI Practitioners

Among the ten questions, the most eye-catching are the in-depth discussions about AI — particularly the intellectual exchange between Chinese and American AI practitioners.

Julien Chaumond, co-founder and CTO of Hugging Face, drew considerable attention for two reasons: on one hand, Hugging Face stands as the world's largest open-source AI model community, bringing together the most cutting-edge models, tools, and developer resources globally; on the other hand, over the past year, Chinese large model startups and technical teams have flocked to the Hugging Face ecosystem, demonstrating the speed and impact of Chinese enterprises and individuals in open-source AI innovation.

Julien Chaumond's question:

Why have Chinese companies been able to stand out in the open-source AI wave? What are the key factors behind this?

On Zhihu, numerous AI developers, researchers, and investment institutions offered substantive answers to Julien Chaumond's question.

Zhihu user Cong Fu, a PhD in computer science and technology from Zhejiang University, argues:

The answer to this question draws on ancient Chinese wisdom — "ten years to sharpen one sword." He analyzes that under the current large model paradigm, competition in AI open-source hinges on five key factors: technical accumulation, talent reserves, data accumulation, computing power reserves, and open-source soil.

Additionally, other Zhihu answerers have summarized the "three major advantages" of China's AI open-source ecosystem: rich and diverse application scenarios, mature industrial chain support, and an open and inclusive technical culture. Still other answerers have provided systematic analysis from the angles of policy support, capital environment, and university research strength.

This public dialogue on the Zhihu platform embodies the tremendous value released when Chinese and American AI practitioners "share the stage from afar": it is both a global observation and affirmation of China's open-source AI present, and opens up greater possibilities for future cross-border collaboration and technical exchange.

AGI and Commercial Deployment: The Two Great Questions for Large Models

Since generative AI technologies like ChatGPT set off a global wave, AI has become one of the most discussed domains. In this "Ten Questions for the Internet," Liu Weiguang of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group posed pragmatic reflections on the commercial value of large models from an enterprise practice perspective, while Wei Qing of Microsoft China took a more macroscopic view of AGI development prospects. Both levels of questioning triggered widespread attention and lively discussion inside and outside the community:

The question posed by Wei Qing, CTO of Microsoft China:

"How many steps remain before we reach true artificial general intelligence (AGI)? In what areas do we still need to make breakthroughs?"

This question is essentially the ultimate goal in the hearts of all AI practitioners. In his question, Wei Qing emphasized that while current AI large models have produced stunning performances, they still fall short in general reasoning, creativity, and emotional understanding. How to advance toward "true intelligence"? This is a puzzle the global AI field is collectively trying to solve, and it has become one of the most closely followed technical topics on Zhihu.

In answering this important question, professionals within the Zhihu community offered deep insights. Dr. Weifu Wei and Dr. Xing Xie, senior principal researchers at Microsoft Research Asia, approached the question from two different angles: AI foundation models, and the relationship between AI and social development.

Dr. Xing Xie wrote in his Zhihu answer:

"By focusing on the dynamic adaptation of diverse values and advancing research pathways for socio-technical collaboration, we have the opportunity to shape a truly human-centered artificial general intelligence. It is not merely the product of technological development, but the shared crystallization of human wisdom and social responsibility. The future of AGI can only become humanity's partner rather than a potential threat through the collective efforts of all society. This is not only the mission of AI researchers, but a question that all of humanity must contemplate together."

Zhihu: A Key Gathering Place for AI Practitioners and Entrepreneurs

In fact, Zhihu has long been one of the communities with the highest density of AI practitioners and entrepreneurs.

Industry heavyweights such as former Amazon chief scientist and Boson AI co-founder Mu Li, 01.AI CEO Kai-Fu Lee, and DeepLearning.AI founder Andrew Ng have all shared professional insights on Zhihu.

According to statistics, as of June 30, 2024, AI-related content on Zhihu had reached 5.6 million pieces, with over 870,000 related questions. Among the nearly 1.69 million authors creating AI-related content, 45,192 were professional authors with verified blue-badge professional identities.

For the AI industry, Zhihu's user base is not only large but extraordinarily diverse: from algorithm engineers to investors, from industry researchers to university researchers, all can ask questions, provide answers, and share professional insights on Zhihu. Such a high-concentration knowledge community provided fertile soil for the AI discussions at this "Internet Disruptors — 2025 Ten Questions for the Internet," and also allowed more people to see the forward-looking significance of "in-depth dialogue among multiple diverse actors."

How to Break Through Career Bottlenecks in the AI Era

Among the ten questions, AI discussions covered not only macro-level propositions but also topics relevant to every working professional. For instance, Ding Jiao, co-founder of Sheng Huo Huo Po, explored this from the perspective of social communication and media:

Facing future career market changes triggered by AI, how do we choose skills worth continuously learning?

Zhihu answerer Morgan Cheng, in answering this question, believes:

Skills that are highly repetitive and follow fixed patterns are not worth investing in, because in the coming years these skills will either be replaced by AI or be on the path to being replaced by AI.

Zhihu answerer Xiaojue, a front-end engineer, mentioned in his answer:

AI brings change, and it certainly brings more opportunities. In the future, the programmers who get eliminated will be those who can't use AI.

The Power of Dialogue and Reflection

As multiple interactive sessions and in-depth discussions of "Internet Disruptors — 2025 Ten Questions for the Internet" unfolded, the "disruptive" value of AI at the technical and industry levels became increasingly prominent. Wei Qing's vision for AGI, Julien Chaumond's curiosity and admiration for Chinese open-source AI, Liu Weiguang's reflections on the commercial value of large models, and Ding Jiao's attention to the convergence of AI with society and media — all converged on Zhihu's open and diverse community into a significant dialogue spanning Chinese and American technology circles.

Perhaps the internet of 2025 is destined to seek a new starting point amid the AI wave, and Zhihu stands as one of the most vibrant and open arenas for intellectual collision beneath this wave.

Through the deep exchange opened by this "Ten Questions for the Internet," we can see that future global AI cooperation will continue to advance with a more open attitude and more diverse perspectives; and the present moment is the critical time to seize AI dividends and usher in industrial and social transformation. Let us continue to follow and witness all of this on Zhihu.

For more exciting discussions, visit the Zhihu "Internet Disruptors — 2025 Ten Questions for the Internet" event page[1].

References [1] Zhihu "Internet Disruptors — 2025 Ten Questions for the Internet" event page: https://www.zhihu.com/parker/campaign/1858250760845934593