A few weeks ago, most people in the Western world were unfamiliar with DeepSeek, a relatively small Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company. However, on January 20, it made headlines globally with the launch of its latest AI model, R1.
R1 is designed as a “reasoning” model, meaning it processes tasks step by step while providing detailed explanations of its workflow to users. This model builds upon DeepSeek’s previous version, V3, which was introduced in December. Despite being significantly more affordable, R1’s capabilities are nearly on par with OpenAI’s most advanced AI model, o1.
In just a few days, DeepSeek’s app outpaced ChatGPT in new downloads and triggered fluctuations in U.S. tech stock prices. The release also prompted OpenAI to accuse its Chinese competitor of improperly utilizing proprietary elements from OpenAI’s models to develop R1.
Speaking to The New York Times, OpenAI stated:
“We are aware of and reviewing indications that DeepSeek may have inappropriately distilled our models, and will share information as we know more. We take aggressive, proactive countermeasures to protect our technology and will continue working closely with the US government to protect the most capable models being built here.”
When approached for a response, DeepSeek did not provide a statement.
However, if DeepSeek did incorporate aspects of ChatGPT into R1—whether through direct replication or the practice of “distillation”—it is worth noting that OpenAI itself has faced criticism for potential intellectual property violations in training its own models.
