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Today in Focus

How DeepSeek stunned the AI industry

Jan 31, 2025
Robert Booth, The Guardian's UK technology editor, unpacks the upheaval caused by DeepSeek, a groundbreaking AI chatbot from China. He highlights its astounding cost-effectiveness and rapid rise, surpassing costlier competitors like ChatGPT. The discussion dives into privacy concerns linked to user data being stored in China, revealing a clash between innovation and geopolitical tensions. Booth also explores how DeepSeek's efficiency disrupts established giants like NVIDIA, reshaping the landscape of the AI industry.
23:20

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • DeepSeek's rapid rise in the AI chatbot market highlights the competitive pressure it places on established companies like ChatGPT and NVIDIA.
  • The use of DeepSeek raises significant data privacy concerns due to the risks of surveillance, particularly with user data stored on Chinese servers.

Deep dives

Disruption in the AI Landscape

DeepSeek has emerged as a significant player in the AI chatbot market, achieving rapid popularity and replacing established competitors like ChatGPT in download rankings. Despite being based in China, DeepSeek offers similar functionalities at a fraction of the operating cost, which is attributed to clever engineering that requires fewer resources. This shift has sent tremors through big tech stocks, resulting in sharp declines for companies like NVIDIA and Alphabet, raising concerns about an AI stock bubble. This competitive pressure may lead to heightened innovation and potentially more affordable AI solutions in the future.

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