DeepSeek, the overnight Chinese AI startup sensation, has stirred buzz and hype in the tech and AI industry. With $6 million allocated for training its R1 V3-powered AI model and the reinforcement learning technique, the firm managed to give major US-based AI firms like OpenAI and Anthropic a run for their money, dethroning ChatGPT as the most downloaded free AI app in the United States.
Over the past few days, key players in the industry have shared their thoughts about the emerging ultra-cost-effective model, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman touting it as an impressive model but claiming, "We will obviously deliver much better models." On the other hand, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated that R1 is super impressive and developments from China should be taken very, very seriously.
Recently, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wrote a detailed blog post about DeepSeek, China, and its potential future competing against US-based AI firms amid the exportation ban imposed by Biden's administration, blocking the shipment of AI chips to China.
Amodei refers to DeepSeek as adversaries who seem like smart and curious researchers who want to develop useful tech. “But they’re beholden to an authoritarian government that has committed human rights violations, has behaved aggressively on the world stage, and will be far more unfettered in these actions if they’re able to match the US in AI,” added Anthropic CEO.
The executive indicated that the AI lab with the most advanced tech infrastructure and resources between 2026 and 2027 could lead the landscape. However, he highlighted that this would depend on whether emerging Chinese AI firms like DeepSeek can bypass the stringent exportation laws imposed by Biden's administration, preventing them from accessing important hardware to facilitate sophisticated AI advances.
According to the Anthropic CEO, if China circumvents the stringent exportation laws, we could land in a bipolar world. In this sense, the US and China can develop advanced AI models, bringing rapid advances across science and technology or AGI. However, Amodei has seemingly refrained from using AGI, branding it as "marketing talk," blatantly expressing his preference for countries of geniuses in data centers as a close substitute.
Amodei raises a critical point, indicating that despite being in a bipolar world, there would be distinct differences between China and the US. The executive claims China would have a competitive advantage with talent and capital, allowing the country to lean more on the development of military-related tech. As such, China could leverage its already pronounced military presence and become a global leader across multiple sectors on top of AI.
While imposing the exportation ban on China, Biden's administration categorically indicated that the measures weren't in place to stunt China's economy but to prevent instances where the advanced chips are used to do more harm than good.
However, we could wind up in a unipolar world if China doesn't get access to the millions of AI GPUs it needs to facilitate its advances in the landscape. Amodei indicates it is unclear whether the unipolar would last with the US and its allies at the forefront with next-gen AI models. The executive claims the US could leverage its lead and access to advanced AI to develop smarter systems. "A temporary lead could be parlayed into a durable advantage," he added.
Amodei's deductions aren't entirely farfetched. Former OpenAI board member Helen Toner claims President Trump revoking Biden's administration NVIDIA AI chips exportation ban could be China and DeepSeek's best bet to stand a fighting chance in the AI race. "DeepSeek is acting as a fast follower, not leading the pack,” added Toner. "China is doing everything they can to keep up with the US in AI, and they’re doing well at fast-following. But to imply they’re out ahead of us is clearly wrong.”
