A senior researcher at China’s DeepSeek has issued a stark warning that artificial intelligence could eliminate most human jobs within the next 10 to 20 years, urging tech companies to act as guardians of humanity. During a panel discussion at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Chen Deli, a key figure at the Hangzhou-based AI firm, emphasized that while AI’s short-term impact may be beneficial, long-term risks could disrupt society on a massive scale. Chen described the current phase as a "honeymoon period," where AI tools assist human productivity but still require human oversight. However, he cautioned that over the next five to 10 years, AI systems will grow increasingly capable, leading to widespread job displacement. "During this period, societal structures will also be greatly challenged," he said, adding that tech companies have a moral responsibility to sound the alarm. He called on major technology firms to take on the role of "whistleblowers," proactively warning the public and policymakers about the potential dangers of unchecked AI advancement. "At the very least, they should protect human safety, then help reshape societal order," Chen stated. DeepSeek has maintained a relatively low profile since gaining international attention earlier this year. Its CEO, Liang Wenfeng, has not appeared in public since a televised meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in February. Despite its quiet stance, the company has emerged as a symbol of China’s growing ambitions in artificial intelligence amid escalating U.S.-China technological rivalry. Founded in 2023, DeepSeek gained prominence with the launch of its R1 reasoning model in January. The model, designed for cost-effective performance, demonstrated capabilities on par with leading AI systems like OpenAI’s o1, while operating at a fraction of the expense. This breakthrough sent shockwaves through the global AI community and impacted U.S. markets. In March, OpenAI warned the U.S. government that while America still leads in AI, "DeepSeek shows that our lead is not wide and is narrowing." The company’s success has also influenced global strategy. In August, OpenAI unveiled GPT-oss, a new line of large language models with open weights—meant to foster broader innovation and competition. Analysts believe this move was partly driven by the rising influence of open-source AI models from China. Ray Wang, research director for semiconductors and emerging technology at Futurum Group, noted that OpenAI’s GPT-oss models have "narrowed the gap" with Chinese counterparts, matching them in performance and scale. He warned that if the U.S. fails to keep pace in open-source development, Chinese AI models could become the default foundation for global applications and research, reshaping the future of the industry.