China’s Zhipu AI Enters AI Race With Free AI Agent AutoGLM Rumination

Chinese AI company Zhipu AI has unveiled an AI agent called AutoGLM Rumination. The new product is part of a wave of similar projects amid growing competition in China’s AI market. AutoGLM Rumination can perform in-depth research as well as practical tasks, including searching the web, planning travel, and writing research reports.

Image source: zhipuai.cn

The agent is based on Zhipu AI’s own models, including the GLM-Z1-Air reasoning AI model and the GLM-4-Air-0414 basic language model. The company claims that the GLM-Z1-Air delivers performance comparable to DeepSeek’s R1 model, but is eight times faster and requires only one-thirtieth the computing power. These characteristics point to potential reductions in the cost of deploying and operating AI systems, which is especially important as neural networks are increasingly integrated into the economy and public administration.

AI agents are autonomous software systems that can make decisions and perform a wide range of tasks without constant user intervention. In early 2025, DeepSeek introduced an AI model that operates at significantly lower costs than its American counterparts, which generated significant interest in the market. Against this backdrop, Chinese developers have accelerated the introduction of domestic AI solutions.

The Zhipu AI reveal comes just weeks after rival company Manus announced its AI agent as the world’s first general-purpose AI agent. Unlike Manus, which offers a subscription product for up to $199 per month, AutoGLM Rumination will be available for free. The company says users will be able to access the AI ​​agent through the GLM model’s official website and mobile app.

Zhipu AI was founded in 2019 as a spin-off from a research lab at Tsinghua University to commercialize AI research. In recent years, it has become one of the leading AI startups in China. Zhipu AI is known for developing a series of GLM models, the latest of which, GLM4, the company claims outperforms GPT-4 on a number of benchmarks. Details about the metrics and testing conditions are not disclosed.

Earlier in March, Zhipu AI raised three rounds of funding from Chinese government agencies. The latest investment came from the Chengdu city government, which invested 300 million yuan (about $41.5 million) in the company. The participation of regional governments reflects the strategic interest of Chinese cities in developing AI solutions, especially in the face of increasing competition from foreign developments.