OPENAI
OpenAI says competitors—especially in China—are using its research to speed up AI development.
The rise of DeepSeek, a Chinese chatbot performing at a similar level to ChatGPT but reportedly built at a much lower cost, has added to these concerns.
Microsoft, a major OpenAI investor, is investigating whether OpenAI’s data has been used without permission.
White House AI adviser David Sacks suggests DeepSeek may have used knowledge distillation, a method where a smaller AI learns from a more advanced one.
OpenAI warns this could harm US firms and is pushing for stronger government support to protect AI models.
Here’s what you should know:
OpenAI suspects DeepSeek copied parts of its model to develop AI faster.
Microsoft and US officials are investigating possible misuse of OpenAI’s data.
DeepSeek faces security concerns, with the US Navy banning it and experts raising concerns over data storage in China.
Who’s watching who?
Experts are unsure if DeepSeek was built from scratch.
Some believe its rapid progress suggests it used publicly available research from US and European institutions.
However, AI companies often build on existing research, and US firms have faced similar accusations.
US officials are now looking into national security risks linked to DeepSeek.
The US Navy has banned its personnel from using the app, citing security risks.
Cybersecurity experts warn that DeepSeek collects large amounts of personal data, which is stored on servers in China.
Meanwhile, DeepSeek says cyberattacks have targeted it and it has temporarily limited new sign-ups, blaming "large-scale malicious attacks" on its system.
This debate highlights the ongoing competition over AI development, data security, and intellectual property.
One company’s ‘innovation’ is another’s ‘copy-paste.’