In a surprising turn of events, DeepSeek, a mobile AI application developed by a Chinese company, has overtaken OpenAI's ChatGPT to claim the top spot on the iPhone free app charts in both the Chinese mainland and the United States. This achievement follows the recent launch of its \"reasoning model,\" DeepSeek R1, which has garnered significant attention in the tech community.
The newly introduced \"DeepThink (R1)\" mode allows users to witness the app's \"thinking process\" as it generates responses, enabling 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 its operational cost is approximately one-thirtieth of its competitor's.
DeepSeek offers its mobile app and web chatbot free of charge for general users, with only API calls for programmers requiring payment. Moreover, the company has made its full-size model available for free download, allowing users with adequate hardware to run it locally. For those with less powerful devices, scaled-down versions of the model are provided, optimized for everything from ultra-thin laptops to high-performance gaming rigs.
The AI Community Reacts
The release of the R1 model has sent ripples through the AI industry, eliciting reactions from notable figures. Venture capitalist and Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen described DeepSeek R1 on social media platform X.com as \"one of the most amazing and impressive breakthroughs\" he has ever witnessed, calling it \"a profound gift to the world.\"
Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, remarked that \"DeepSeek has largely replicated OpenAI-o1-mini and has open-sourced it.\" Jim Fan, a senior research manager at Nvidia, praised DeepSeek as a company that is upholding the original mission of conducting \"truly open, frontier research that empowers all.\"
Yann LeCun, Meta's chief AI scientist, noted that DeepSeek's success underscores how \"open-source models are surpassing proprietary ones,\" rather than signaling any shift in the global AI landscape. 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 Emphasizes Innovation and Talent Development
In a July 2024 interview with 36kr.com, DeepSeek CEO Liang Wenfeng discussed the importance of China moving beyond the stereotype of merely applying innovations from abroad. He emphasized that as the country's economy grows, it should become a global contributor to innovation, driven by curiosity and a commitment to advancement.
Liang highlighted 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 acknowledged. \"But we can cultivate our own.\"
DeepSeek's rise reflects a broader trend of technological advancement and innovation within the region, showcasing the potential for local companies to make significant contributions to the global AI industry.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
