About — zai lab

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About

What is ZAI Lab

ZAI takes its name from the Chinese character 在 (zài). 在, is to be, to live, to be present.

The character 在 (zài) first appeared in oracle-bone inscriptions more than three thousand years ago. Xu Shen later explained in Shuowen Jiezi that 在 (zài) related in sound and form to 才(cai), an ancient character depicting the first sprout emerging from the earth.

“在，存也。”
To be present is, first of all, to exist. The meaning of existence lies in what we encounter as life unfolds.

In the digital age, networks connect us to the farthest corners of the world, yet genuine presence between people has become increasingly rarer. We are constantly online, consuming an unfiltered stream of information, but rarely remain present for the moments passing before us. We are everywhere at once, yet nowhere with one another.

What remains irreplaceably human is our capacity for emotional resonance: to see and to be seen, to feel and to be felt. This does not mean returning to the past. Rather, it means searching for a more meaningful form of presence within the digital age—a field in which one can enter fully, feel deeply, and experience the presence of others as something real.

The question of our time is this: How might each individual be better seen, cared for, and understood?

Here, we invite you to be fully present.

在，既是方位，亦是一种状态。溯源中文，许慎在《说文解字》中有云，：“在，存也。” 它与“才”同源，字形宛如破土发芽的草木。生存的本质是存在，而存在的意义，则在于生命的旅程中的经历。

存存，在也。人存在于世，其万事万物皆因人的“在”而与周遭的环境产生不可剥离的联结。此刻，真实的感知，油然而生。

存在的具象化，即是“在场”。在数字化时代，网络虽然把世界无缝串接，却也让人与人之间真正的“在场”变得愈发稀缺。我们常线上在场却情感缺失，而情绪的共鸣恰恰是人类最不可被替代的价值。探讨这些这并不意味着要退回到过去，而是要创造更具实效的“在场”状态，即一个能让人身临其境的场域。数字化时代的核心议题，是个体如何被更好地被看见，被关照，被理解。

在这里，我们邀请你全情投入，让 “在场” 得以发生。

What Do We Do

Advances in artificial intelligence have expanded the possibilities of traditional creative practice. From image generation to multimodal computation, AI has opened up windows ofnew possibilities for art and design while simultaneously reducing barriers to creative production. As creation becomes increasingly accessible, however, works shaped through time, effort, and care become more and more valuable.

We believe that technology as a medium can expand the boundaries of imagination and expression. We aim to build an interdisciplinary platform connecting art, design, and technology, one that gives greater visibility to the ideas and experiments of emerging creators while bringing together practitioners from diverse backgrounds. Beyond exhibition and dialogue, we hope to support the translation of creative ideas translating into new forms of practice and collaboration.

AI技术的革新在图像生成，情感计算等领域拓宽了传统创作的可能性，并为设计创意注入了活力。然而，在创作门槛不断降低的今天，那些凝聚了时间心血、承载着独特情感温度与精神内涵的作品，愈发显得弥足珍贵。我们深信，唯有注入人的经验、关怀与意志，作品才能拥有真正的生命力。

我们深信，唯有注入人的经验、关怀与意志，作品才能拥有真正的生命力。因此，我们致力于打造一个融合艺术、设计与科技的创新平台，为青年艺术家的奇思妙想、前沿实验与精彩作品提供更为广阔的舞台，并通过跨领域的深度交流，激发灵感火花，共同探索未来创作的无限可能。

我们相信，技术可以成为承载想象的媒介。当作品被注入创作者独特的经验、关怀与意志，科技便成为人文表达的一部分。

我们希望搭建一个连接艺术、设计与科技的跨领域平台，让青年创作者的想法、实验与作品获得更多被看见的机会，也让不同背景的实践者在交流与协作中彼此启发，碰撞出新的灵感与可能。