Chinese-developed AI app DeepSeek has overtaken ChatGPT to claim the No. 1 spot on Apple’s App Store in both the Chinese mainland and the U.S., signaling a bold move in the global AI race. The app’s new DeepThink (R1) mode—which reveals its logic steps before generating answers—boasts operational costs 1/30th of OpenAI’s GPT-4o while matching its performance, according to the company.
Democratizing AI Power
DeepSeek offers free access to its chatbot and downloadable models, with scaled versions for devices ranging from budget laptops to high-end PCs. Developers can replicate its R1 model using open-source code and training data from its published research paper.
Industry Reactions: Open-Source vs. Proprietary
Meta’s Yann LeCun praised the breakthrough as proof that open-source models are surpassing proprietary ones,
while NVIDIA’s Jim Fan noted DeepSeek’s alignment with OpenAI’s original mission of empowering all.
Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen called it a profound gift to the world.
China’s Innovation Push
CEO Liang Wenfeng told 36kr.com that China must evolve from adopting U.S. innovations to driving global progress. His team of young developers built DeepSeek V2 without overseas contributors, demonstrating homegrown technical prowess. We can cultivate our own talent,
he stated—a vision resonating with Kai-Fu Lee’s confidence in China’s generative AI potential.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
