The landscape of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has recently been shaken by the arrival of a new protagonist: DeepSeek. Developed by a Chinese startup, the tool promises to redefine what we understand by generative AI, challenging industry giants like OpenAI, Google and Microsoft. But what makes DeepSeek so special
It is an open-source AI platform, that stands out for its efficiency and low development cost, conquered from an innovative and quite disruptive technological architecture versus the more well-known models of generative artificial intelligence in the market. One of the most notable technical innovations is the so-called "intelligent quantization", which in more layman's terms would be understood as the rounding formula used to simplify calculations. Such an approach significantly reduces the need for memory and the associated costs, without compromising the accuracy of the results
Thus, while companies like OpenAI invested around $6 billion over a decade, with a team of 4.500 employees, DeepSeek achieved comparable results in just two years, having a team of fewer than 200 employees and investments approximately 1000 times smaller, between 5 and 6 million dollars
Furthermore, DeepSeek is built on a hybrid architecture, that combines deep neural networks with sparse attention mechanisms and advanced reinforcement learning algorithms. The combination allows for more efficient data processing, reducing computational consumption while maintaining high accuracy
Another differentiator is that DeepSeek adopts the "mixture of experts" approach, activating only the computational resources necessary for each task. The technique not only increases efficiency, but also reduces energy consumption, making the model more sustainable. One of the biggest advantages is the fact that it is an open-source system. This means that anyone, be a researcher, developer or technology enthusiast, you can access your source code, study it, modify it and improve it according to your needs
The democratization of AI allows developing countries and regions to access cutting-edge technologies without relying exclusively on proprietary and high-cost solutions, leveling the playing field and allowing different communities to benefit from AI advancements to address local challenges
Market impact
The introduction of DeepSeek had a significant impact on the technological and financial market. Companies like Nvidia, leading supplier of chips for AI, they saw a sharp drop in their shares (which had been excessively valued for months) after the launch of DeepSeek, resulting in a loss of market capitalization of approximately 600 billion dollars (up to the moment I am writing this article). This demonstrates how the "phenomenon" DeepSeek challenged thestatus quoand prompted the reassessment of AI development strategies by large companies
All of this was so impactful and transformative, that even the newly inaugurated president of the USA Donald Trump, that has as one of its main government banners the global leadership in AI by American companies, was forced to speak out
Furthermore, the accessibility and low cost of DeepSeek open opportunities for small and medium enterprises to adopt advanced AI solutions, previously restricted to large corporations due to high costs. The result can be greater innovation in various sectors, from health to finance
The success of DeepSeek signals a shift in the AI development paradigm (which was led and dominated by the USA), bringing new heavyweight competitors to the industry, that will emphasize efficiency with accessibility. It is expected that this approach will encourage other companies to adopt open source models, seeking more efficient solutions in terms of resources
Still, the preparation for this revolution requires that professionals and companies have certain behaviors
- Update continuouslyStaying informed about the latest trends and advancements in AI is crucial. Read news and participate in courses, workshops and conferences can help keep up with the fast pace of innovations
- Adopt an open mindsetBe willing to try new tools and approaches, like those offered by DeepSeek, can provide significant competitive advantages, since every day there are literally dozens of news – and this process will tend to accelerate
- Foster collaborationThe open-source nature of DeepSeek highlights the importance of collaboration in the AI community. Contributing to open source projects and sharing knowledge are actions that can accelerate collective progress, contrasting the main models that were in force in the market until then, payments and closed
Digital transformation is at an accelerated pace, and DeepSeek exemplifies how innovations can arise unexpectedly, challenging established players and redefining the future of technology. Being prepared for changes is essential to remain relevant and competitive in the current market. I am very curious and interested in following where all of this will lead us! And you
