The firm has attracted top U.S. and Australian officials’ attention for national security implications.
Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek has stunned the market by introducing a chatbot built at a fraction of the cost of U.S. rivals. But questions are growing over whether the firm may have taken a shortcut.
ChatGPT creator OpenAI said on Jan. 29 that DeepSeek might have “inappropriately” used its data.
“We know that groups in the PRC are actively working to use methods, including what’s known as distillation, to try to replicate advanced U.S. AI models,” an OpenAI spokesperson told The Epoch Times, using the acronym for the Chinese regime’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.
“We are aware of and reviewing indications that DeepSeek may have inappropriately distilled our models, and will share information as we know more.”
Distillation is an AI technique in which a developer trains an AI model by siphoning data from a larger one. OpenAI, in its terms of service, states that it does not allow anyone to take data from its system to build competing products. David Sacks, the White House AI czar, suggested DeepSeek has done just that.
“There’s substantial evidence that what DeepSeek did here is, they distilled the knowledge out of OpenAI’s models,” he said in a recent Fox News interview. “I don’t think OpenAI is very happy about this.”
Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of the Commerce Department, voiced similar skepticism about DeepSeek in his Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 29.
“I do not believe that DeepSeek was done all above board. That’s nonsense,” he said. “I’m going to be rigorous in our pursuit of restrictions and enforcing those restrictions to keep us in the lead.”
On Jan. 27, DeepSeek overtook OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the top free downloaded app on Apple’s App Store globally, sparking fears among investors.
Founded in 2023, the Chinese AI firm claimed to have built the model in two months with less than $6 million. The Chinese media celebrated the company’s cost-efficiency, calling it the “Pinduoduo of AI,” a reference to the Chinese online retailer known for its ultra-low pricing.
By Eva Fu
