DeepSeek, a mobile AI application developed in China, has climbed to the top of the iPhone free app charts in both the Chinese mainland and the U.S., overtaking OpenAI's ChatGPT. This milestone comes shortly after the company launched its new reasoning model, DeepSeek R1.
By enabling the \"DeepThink (R1)\" mode, users can view the app's \"thinking process\" before responses are generated, allowing it to tackle complex logical and mathematical problems more effectively. According to DeepSeek's official website, the R1 model's performance matches that of OpenAI-o1, while operating at approximately one-thirtieth of the cost.
The mobile app and web chatbot are currently free for general users, 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, scaled-down versions optimized for various hardware configurations are offered.
Beyond providing free access to its models, DeepSeek has also 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 in the AI industry, drawing reactions from prominent figures.
Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape and a well-known venture capitalist, described DeepSeek R1 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 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 mission of conducting \"truly open, frontier research that empowers all.\"
Yann LeCun, Meta's chief AI scientist, commented that DeepSeek's success highlights how \"open-source models are surpassing proprietary ones,\" rather than indicating one country surpassing another in AI.
Kai-Fu Lee, former president of Google China, expressed that DeepSeek's achievements validate his belief in China's potential to excel in generative AI engineering.
DeepSeek CEO on China's Role as an Innovator
In a July 2024 interview with 36kr.com, DeepSeek CEO Liang Wenfeng emphasized that China must move beyond the stereotype of merely applying U.S. innovations. He believes that as China's economy continues to grow, the country should contribute to global innovation rather than relying on advancements from elsewhere.
Liang highlighted that innovation stems from genuine curiosity, not just the pursuit of business success. He also mentioned that DeepSeek's team consists of young talent and that the development of their earlier V2 model did not involve any overseas Chinese contributors.
\"Perhaps the top 50 talents in this field are not in China,\" Liang stated. \"But we can cultivate our own.\"
DeepSeek's rise to the top of the app charts and its open-source approach signal a significant shift in the AI landscape, with open-source models challenging proprietary systems and showcasing the global potential for innovation.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
