What is DeepSeek?
Founded by Liang Wenfeng in May 2023, the Chinese startup has challenged established AI companies with its open-source approach. According to Forbes, DeepSeek’s edge may lie in the fact that it is funded only by High-Flyer, a hedge fund also run by Wenfeng, which gives the company a funding model that supports fast growth and research.
What is DeepSeek R1?
Released in full last week, R1 is DeepSeek’s flagship reasoning model, which performs at or above OpenAI’s lauded o1 model on several math, coding, and reasoning benchmarks. Built on V3 and based on Alibaba’s Qwen and Meta’s Llama, what makes R1 interesting is that, unlike most other top models from tech giants, it’s open source, meaning anyone can download and use it.
Privacy and Security Red Flags
Data privacy worries that have circulated TikTok — the Chinese-owned social media app now somewhat banned in the US — are also cropping up around DeepSeek. On Wednesday, research firm Wiz discovered that an internal DeepSeek database was publicly accessible “within minutes” of conducting a security check. The “completely open and unauthenticated” database contained chat histories, user API keys, and other sensitive data.
Safety Concerns
AI safety researchers have long been concerned that powerful open-source models could be applied in dangerous and unregulated ways once out in the wild. Tests by AI safety firm Chatterbox found DeepSeek R1 has “safety issues across the board.”
Energy Efficiency Claims
Some analysts note that DeepSeek’s lower-lift compute model is more energy efficient than that of US AI giants. “DeepSeek’s new AI model likely does use less energy to train and run than larger competitors’ models,” said Slattery. “However, I doubt this marks the start of a long-term trend in lower energy consumption.”
How Will DeepSeek Affect the AI Industry?
R1’s success highlights a sea change in AI that could empower smaller labs and researchers to create competitive models and diversify the options. For example, organizations without the funding or staff of OpenAI can download R1 and fine-tune it to compete with models like o1.
Conclusion
DeepSeek’s ascent comes at a critical time for Chinese-American tech relations, just days after the long-fought TikTok ban went into partial effect. Ironically, DeepSeek lays out in plain language the fodder for security concerns that the US struggled to prove about TikTok in its prolonged effort to enact the ban.
FAQs
Q: What is DeepSeek?
A: DeepSeek is a Chinese AI startup that has challenged established AI companies with its open-source approach.
Q: What is DeepSeek R1?
A: DeepSeek R1 is the company’s flagship reasoning model, which performs at or above OpenAI’s lauded o1 model on several math, coding, and reasoning benchmarks.
Q: Is DeepSeek’s model more energy efficient than US AI giants?
A: Yes, according to some analysts, DeepSeek’s lower-lift compute model is more energy efficient than that of US AI giants.
Q: Are there any security concerns surrounding DeepSeek?
A: Yes, research firm Wiz discovered that an internal DeepSeek database was publicly accessible, and AI safety researchers have raised concerns about the model’s potential use in dangerous and unregulated ways.
Q: How will DeepSeek affect the AI industry?
A: R1’s success highlights a sea change in AI that could empower smaller labs and researchers to create competitive models and diversify the options.
