DeepSeek, a mobile AI application developed in China, has surged past OpenAI's ChatGPT to claim the top spot on the iPhone free app charts in both China and the United States. This achievement comes shortly after the launch of its new 'reasoning model,' DeepSeek R1.
By activating the 'DeepThink (R1)' mode, users can view the app's 'thinking process' before receiving responses, allowing it to address complex logical and mathematical problems. According to DeepSeek's official website, the R1 model's performance is \"on par with\" OpenAI-o1, while operating at approximately one-thirtieth of the cost.
The mobile app and web chatbot are currently free for general use, with fees applying only to API calls for programmers. DeepSeek has also made its full-size model available for free download, enabling users with sufficient hardware to run it locally. For those with less powerful devices, the company offers scaled-down versions optimized for everything from ultra-thin laptops to high-performance gaming rigs.
Beyond providing free access to its models, DeepSeek has published a research paper detailing the development of R1, allowing other developers to replicate the process using their own training data.
The AI Community Reacts
The release of the R1 model has generated significant buzz within the AI industry, eliciting impressed reactions from prominent figures.
Marc Andreessen, venture capitalist and co-founder of Netscape, described DeepSeek R1 as \"one of the most amazing and impressive breakthroughs\" he has ever seen, calling it \"a profound gift to the world.\"
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas noted that \"DeepSeek has largely replicated OpenAI-o1-mini and has open-sourced it.\"
Jim Fan, a senior research manager at Nvidia, remarked that DeepSeek is a \"non-U.S. company\" upholding OpenAI's original mission of conducting \"truly open, frontier research that empowers all.\"
Yann LeCun, Meta's chief AI scientist, emphasized that DeepSeek's success highlights how \"open-source models are surpassing proprietary ones,\" rather than signifying any one country's dominance in AI.
Kai-Fu Lee, former president of Google China, expressed a sense of vindication, stating that the DeepSeek releases validate his belief in China's potential to excel in generative AI engineering.
DeepSeek CEO: China as an Innovator
In a July 2024 interview with 36kr.com, DeepSeek CEO Liang Wenfeng argued that China must move beyond the stereotype of merely applying innovations from others. As the country's economy grows, he believes it should transition into a global contributor to innovation.
Liang emphasized that innovation stems not only from the pursuit of business success but also from genuine curiosity. He revealed that the DeepSeek team is composed of young talent and that the development of the company's earlier V2 model did not involve any overseas Chinese contributors.
\"Perhaps the top 50 talents in this field are not in China,\" Liang said. \"But we can cultivate our own.\"
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
