Speaker Spotlight: Yang Zhilin – Founder of Moonshot AI & Pioneer of China’s AI Revolution

Yang Zhilin is a Chinese AI researcher, entrepreneur and the co founder and CEO of Moonshot AI, one of the world’s fastest growing artificial intelligence companies. Recognised for his pioneering work in natural language processing and large language models, Yang has become one of the most influential figures shaping the future of AI in China.

Yang Zhilin’s Key Career Achievements:

• 2026 – Led the release of Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3 large language model
• 2026 – Spoke at NVIDIA GTC as a keynote speaker
• 2026 – Moonshot AI was reported to have reached a valuation of approximately $20 billion following a funding round
• 2025 – Released the Kimi K2 large language model
• 2025 – Launched Kimi Researcher, Moonshot AI’s autonomous research agent
• 2024 – Expanded Kimi’s context window to two million Chinese characters
• 2024 – Released Kimi Explore Edition
• 2023 – Co founded Moonshot AI and became Chief Executive Officer
• 2023 – Released the first version of the Kimi AI assistant
• 2021 – Led the development of the Wu Dao large language model at the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence
• 2020 – Contributed to the development of an early version of Huawei’s PanGu large language model
• 2019 – Completed a PhD in Machine Learning at Carnegie Mellon University
• 2019 – Co authored the research papers ‘Transformer XL’ and ‘XLNet’
• 2019 – Conducted research at Google Brain and Meta AI during his doctoral studies
• 2016 – Co founded Recurrent AI, an artificial intelligence company focused on enterprise sales technology

Yang Zhilin’s Biography:

Yang Zhilin is a Chinese artificial intelligence researcher, entrepreneur and the co founder and CEO of Moonshot AI. Best known for co authoring the influential Transformer XL and XLNet research papers, Yang has established himself as one of the leading figures behind the rapid advancement of large language models. After founding Moonshot AI in 2023, he led the development of Kimi, an AI assistant capable of processing exceptionally long text inputs, helping position the company among China’s leading AI developers. In recognition of his contributions to artificial intelligence, Yang was named to the MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 China list in 2023.

Born in Shantou, Guangdong, Yang displayed exceptional academic ability from a young age, winning first prize in the Guangdong National Olympiad in Informatics before studying at Tsinghua University. Although he initially enrolled in thermal engineering, he transferred to computer science, where his interest in machine learning flourished. He later completed a PhD in Machine Learning at Carnegie Mellon University under renowned AI researchers Ruslan Salakhutdinov and William Cohen. During his doctoral studies, he conducted research at Google Brain and Meta AI, co authoring several highly cited papers, including Transformer XL and XLNet, which remain among the most influential publications in modern natural language processing.

Before launching Moonshot AI, Yang co founded Recurrent AI, developing artificial intelligence solutions for enterprise sales technology. After returning to China, he contributed to the early development of Huawei’s PanGu large language model before leading work on the Wu Dao large language model at the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence. Inspired by the emergence of generative AI, he co founded Moonshot AI in 2023 with fellow Tsinghua University alumni. Within months, the company launched Kimi, which introduced support for 200,000 Chinese characters in a single prompt, later expanding this capability even further. His research output has also earned more than 100,000 citations, reflecting the global impact of his work within the machine learning community.

Today, Yang is regarded as one of the most influential voices shaping the future of artificial intelligence. Drawing on experience spanning frontier AI research, large language model development and the commercialisation of advanced technologies, he provides audiences with a rare perspective on how breakthrough AI systems are created and deployed. Whether discussing foundation models, scaling laws, the future of artificial general intelligence or the practical implementation of generative AI, Yang delivers authoritative insights grounded in both academic research and real world innovation, making him an exceptional keynote speaker for organisations seeking to understand the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

Yang Zhilin – Driving the Next Generation of Foundation Models Through Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurial Vision

Yang is an exceptional AI speaker thanks to his unique combination of world class academic research and hands on experience building frontier artificial intelligence systems. Having helped shape some of the most influential breakthroughs in natural language processing before founding one of China’s leading AI companies, he offers audiences an insider’s perspective on how cutting edge AI is developed and commercialised.

His work spans every stage of the AI ecosystem, from publishing landmark research papers and leading the development of major large language models to building Moonshot AI into a global competitor in generative artificial intelligence. As the creator behind the Kimi family of AI models, Yang understands both the technical foundations and the commercial realities of deploying advanced AI at scale.

Audiences value his ability to explain the evolution of transformer architectures, foundation models and generative AI while offering insight into where the industry is heading next. Whether speaking to business leaders, developers, policymakers or investors, Yang provides practical knowledge informed by experience at the forefront of AI innovation. His expertise in scaling AI research into commercially successful technology makes him an invaluable keynote speaker for organisations looking to understand the future of artificial intelligence and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape.

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