Artificial intelligence is everywhere and is widely used around the world. DeepSeek, a new chat AI that launched on Jan. 27, has American companies concerned about the future.
Why are American companies concerned over this new chat AI that has blown up on the internet?
As someone who rarely uses AI, I wasn’t surprised to see an underdog company gain traction so fast. AI was first introduced in the latter half of the 2010s as a way for consumers to get help with essays. Many companies, like ChatGPT or Google AI, might have a run for their money with this new AI company on the block.
But, as I looked more into DeepSeek, I realized why more American companies are so concerned.
DeepSeek claims it spends less than $6 million to train its AI, compared to companies like ChatGPT, which spend upwards of around $100 million to train its AI. That’s a big difference, especially with DeepSeek using an AI chip that isn’t currently banned in the U.S.
AI can be scary, especially since it can write a paper with a prompt in seconds or create a website with just a few details or suggestions from the consumer. What DeepSeek shows us is that AI doesn’t have to be the most powerful or most expensive chip on the market. It can do almost anything that a consumer would want it to do within reason.
I find this deeply concerning. AI is so new that there aren’t a lot of policies to regulate AI. Companies are already taking advantage of this by using it to make ads, content and more. An example of this was seen at a recent NFL football game, where characters from SpongeBob SquarePants did commentary for the game. During the game, an AI-generated handsome Squidward was used for a few seconds, and fans weren’t pleased by this.
AI can be a tool if used correctly. I’m not a fan of using AI simply because of what it means for jobs that we as people hold. For example, writers for shows could get replaced by AI to write scripts and voice actors could get replaced by AI. Even in my own industry, AI could replace journalists who work hard to write and tell stories to the populace. It comes down to money and corporations that don’t want to pay people to do a job that AI can do for less.
If companies like DeepSeek are to continue to create, train and sell their AI products, they need to be regulated and monitored so that they don’t fall or get used for the wrong reasons.
However, it will be up to each country to regulate AI and companies like DeepSeek to move forward with using AI in their products in the near future.
