China's DeepSeek AI Challenges OpenAI & US

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, rivals OpenAI with its open-source, affordable models like DeepSeek-R1, released shortly after OpenAI's o1, shifting AI focus geopolitically.

1. The Rise of DeepSeek as a Major AI Player: DeepSeek has rapidly emerged as a significant competitor to OpenAI and Google, defying initial expectations of being just another mediocre AI startup.

2. Geopolitical Implications of AI Development: The development highlights a shift in the AI landscape from existential risk concerns (humans vs. AI) to geopolitical competition (democracy vs. authoritarianism), with DeepSeek representing a potential challenge to US dominance.

3. Open Source and Affordability as Competitive Advantages: DeepSeek's strategy of open-sourcing its models and offering them at a low cost ("damn cheap") could disrupt the AI market by making advanced AI technology more accessible.

4. Rapid Pace of AI Development: The incredibly short one-month delay between OpenAI's "o1" and DeepSeek's "R1" reasoning models highlights the breakneck speed at which AI technology is advancing.

5. DeepSeek-R1 Model significance: The release of DeepSeek-R1 is a milestone, signalling China's (and Deepseek's) entry into reasoning models, which used to be US's forte.