The rise of Chinese AI model DeepSeek has sent shockwaves through the tech industry, quickly establishing itself as a formidable rival to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Within just a week of its launch, DeepSeek became the most downloaded free app in the U.S., prompting a reaction from former President Donald Trump, who called it “a wake-up call” for the American tech industry. With claims that its R1 AI model was built at a fraction of the cost of its competitors, DeepSeek has sparked discussions on the future of AI development and its financial implications.
Both ChatGPT and DeepSeek excel at generating written content, whether it’s summarizing information or crafting blog posts. In a test comparing their ability to list the greatest Scottish football players, both models ranked Kenny Dalglish at the top. DeepSeek impressed with a quick and structured response but included non-Scottish players like Henrik Larsson and Brian Laudrup, contextualizing their impact on Scottish football. ChatGPT, on the other hand, provided a more traditional yet accurate take, concluding with an insightful remark about the timeless nature of these legends.
The AI landscape has revolutionized coding assistance, with developers increasingly relying on AI for debugging and problem-solving. Javier Aguirre, an AI researcher at Samsung Medical Center, noted that DeepSeek managed to solve a complex coding issue that even OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o struggled with. Furthermore, Addy Osmani, Google’s Head of Chrome Developer Experience, emphasized how engineers are combining DeepSeek with Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet for a powerful hybrid coding tool—one that is also more cost-effective than OpenAI’s offerings.
For creative brainstorming, ChatGPT and DeepSeek took different approaches. When asked for children’s story ideas, ChatGPT generated six distinct concepts, while DeepSeek provided a single 387-word story. While DeepSeek’s response showcased quick storytelling capabilities, it lacked depth. ChatGPT’s structured suggestions, however, allowed for greater flexibility and refinement in idea development.
When tasked with explaining the causes of World War I, ChatGPT delivered a thorough and structured analysis. DeepSeek, while providing a more concise response, successfully outlined the key events. Meanwhile, Google’s Gemini stood out by integrating links to reputable sources, enhancing credibility.
Despite the vast investments made by U.S. tech firms, DeepSeek’s emergence signals that AI innovation is far from monopolized. As AI continues to evolve, experts like Cambridge professor Neil Lawrence believe we are witnessing just the beginning of new breakthroughs. He likens the moment to the early days of the steam engine, where innovators built upon previous discoveries to drive progress.
The AI race is far from over, and with DeepSeek’s rapid rise, the competition is only heating up.
