Expert calls DeepSeek a threat to the industry's leading AI models

A Chinese research lab has developed a new AI language model that could compete with such giants as Google and OpenAI. CNBC tech columnist Deirdre Boza said in an interview with CNBC on Jan. 28.

"It took Google and OpenAI years and billions of dollars to create the latest AI language models, and a Chinese research lab created a competitive model in just two months and for less than $6 million. Not billions, but $6 million!" - Boza noted.

According to Boza, DeepSeek demonstrates performance comparable to leading models such as OpenAI GPT, and in some cases even outperforms them.

Boza believes that if models like DeepSeek evolve and become more affordable, it could lead to a rapid lowering of barriers to entry in the AI development market.

"If a model like DeepSeek emerges, with competitive performance, minimal costs, and reliance on existing work, it will signal a rapid reduction in the barrier to entry for AI development, challenging the current dominance of industry leaders such as OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic," the columnist said.

Boza called the emergence of DeepSeek a "monumental shift" in the field of artificial intelligence and noted its efficiency:

"Not only is this model cheaper and faster to build, but it's cheaper and more efficient to run, so developers are adopting it en masse and American consumers are pushing it to the top of the app store charts and pushing back GPT chat."

ChatGPT's Chinese counterpart has created a furor in the AI sphere. What you need to know

Earlier, in December 2024, Deirdre Boza in an interview with CNBC already stated the advantages of China's DeepSeek, noting that this model will be a real breakthrough in AI and will challenge the US dominance in the technology industry.

Earlier, on January 27, the media wrote that the excitement around the appearance of Chinese chatbot DeepSeek provoked a stock market crash in the United States.