TMTPOST -- Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) developer DeepSeek made its first public appearance in nearly a year after becoming a global sensation, with a senior researcher warning that rapid advances in AI could pose serious risks to human employment and society over the next decade.

Chen Deli, a senior researcher at DeepSeek, spoke at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, on Thursday. He appeared alongside executives from five other AI companies — including Unitree Robotics and BrainCo — known collectively in China as the “six little dragons” of AI.

When asked about DeepSeek’s open-source approach and its role in advancing global AI development, Chen said the technology would bring major short-term benefits but also long-term challenges.

“AI can be a great aid to humans in the near term,” Chen said. “But in the next five to ten years, it could start replacing some of the work people do. And in the next ten to twenty years, it could take over most human work — society will face a massive challenge. At that point, tech companies must take on the role of defenders.”

Chen added that while he remained optimistic about AI’s technological potential, he viewed its societal impact “pessimistically.”

The comments mark DeepSeek’s first major public statement since it stunned the global tech community in January with a low-cost AI model that outperformed leading U.S. systems. The company’s founder and chief executive Liang Wenfeng last appeared publicly in February when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping during a televised gathering of entrepreneurs.

DeepSeek has otherwise maintained a low profile, skipping major Chinese technology conferences and avoiding media interviews despite growing international attention.

The Chinese government has since promoted DeepSeek as a symbol of national technological strength and resilience amid intensifying tech competition and U.S. export restrictions. Analysts say Beijing sees the firm’s success as a sign that Chinese developers can achieve world-class AI innovation despite limited access to advanced foreign semiconductors.

Although DeepSeek has not released a major new model since January, its updates continue to attract market attention. In September, the company unveiled an experimental upgrade to its V3 model, which it said offers more efficient training and improved performance on long-text processing.

DeepSeek has also become a crucial player in China’s push to strengthen its domestic AI ecosystem and support the development of homegrown semiconductors. Chinese chipmakers such as Cambricon Technologies and Huawei have built hardware optimized for DeepSeek’s models.

In August, DeepSeek announced a version of its model specifically tuned for Chinese-made AI chips — a move that triggered a surge in local semiconductor stocks.

While the company has yet to reveal its next major product, industry observers say DeepSeek’s influence extends beyond technology, shaping both policy discussions and public expectations around China’s AI ambitions.

“DeepSeek’s emergence has shown that innovation can flourish even under constraints,” said one analyst following China’s AI industry. “But its researcher’s warning in Wuzhen also reflects growing awareness of the social challenges that come with it.”