DeepSeek Surpasses ChatGPT to Top iPhone Charts in China and U.S.
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 China and the United States. This remarkable achievement comes just days after the launch of its \"reasoning model,\" DeepSeek R1.
When users activate the \"DeepThink (R1)\" mode, the app displays its \"thinking process\" before generating responses, allowing it to tackle 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 rival's.
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 devices with less computing power, the company offers scaled-down versions of the model, optimized for everything from ultra-thin laptops to high-performance gaming rigs.
Beyond providing free access to its models, DeepSeek has also published a research paper detailing the development of R1. This move enables other developers to replicate the process using their own training data, fostering innovation and collaboration within the AI community.
The AI Community Reacts
The release of the R1 model has created a stir in the AI industry, drawing impressed reactions from prominent figures.
Marc Andreessen, venture capitalist and co-founder of Netscape, described DeepSeek R1 on social media platform X.com as \"one of the most amazing and impressive breakthroughs\" he has ever seen, calling it \"a profound gift to the world.\"
Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity, noted on X.com 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 indicating any one country surpassing another in AI.
Kai-Fu Lee, former president of Google China, expressed a sense of vindication, saying that the DeepSeek releases validate his belief in China's potential to excel in generative AI engineering, despite skepticism from others.
DeepSeek CEO Advocates for Chinese Innovation
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 abroad. As the country's economy grows, he stated, it should transition into a global contributor to innovation rather than relying on the advancements of others.
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 told 36kr.com. \"But we can cultivate our own.\"
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
