DeepSeek<\/a>, a mobile AI application developed by a Chinese company, has climbed to the top of the iPhone free app charts in both China and the United States, surpassing OpenAI's ChatGPT. This milestone follows the recent launch of DeepSeek's \"reasoning model,\" DeepSeek R1.<\/p>When users enable the \"DeepThink (R1)\" mode, the app showcases its \"thinking process\" before generating responses, allowing it to handle 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 its rival's cost.<\/p>
The mobile app and web chatbot are currently free for general use, with only API calls for programmers requiring payment. Additionally, DeepSeek has 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 of the model, optimized for devices ranging from ultra-thin laptops to high-performance gaming rigs.<\/p>
Beyond providing free access to its models, DeepSeek has also published a research paper detailing the development of R1, empowering other developers to replicate the process using their own training data.<\/p>
The AI Community Reacts<\/h3>
The release of the R1 model has generated significant buzz within the AI industry, eliciting impressed reactions from prominent figures.<\/p>
Marc Andreessen, venture capitalist and co-founder of Netscape, described DeepSeek R1 on social media as \"one of the most amazing and impressive breakthroughs\" he has ever witnessed, calling it \"a profound gift to the world.\"<\/p>
Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas noted that \"DeepSeek has largely replicated OpenAI-o1-mini and has open-sourced it,\" highlighting the model's accessibility.<\/p>
Jim Fan, a senior research manager at Nvidia, commented that DeepSeek is a company upholding the mission of conducting \"truly open, frontier research that empowers all.\"<\/p>
Yann LeCun, Meta's chief AI scientist, emphasized that DeepSeek's success underscores how \"open-source models are surpassing proprietary ones,\" rather than indicating any one country surpassing another in AI.<\/p>
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.<\/p>
DeepSeek CEO Advocates for Chinese Innovation<\/h3>
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 other countries. As the Chinese economy grows, he stated, the nation should become a global contributor to innovation rather than relying on advancements from elsewhere.<\/p>
Liang emphasized that genuine curiosity drives innovation, not just the pursuit of business success. He revealed that the DeepSeek team comprises young talent and that the development of the company's earlier V2 model did not involve any overseas Chinese contributors.<\/p>
\"Perhaps the top 50 talents in this field are not in China,\" Liang told 36kr.com. \"But we can cultivate our own.\"<\/p>
