DeepSeek to take on ChatGPT with new agentic AI model
What's the story
China-based artificial intelligence (AI) company, DeepSeek, is developing a new agentic generative AI model, as per Bloomberg. Agentic AI is the latest trend in AI technology, where digital assistants can perform tasks with minimal human intervention. These agents can do anything from coding to online shopping, ordering food, or planning vacations. The specifics of DeepSeek's agentic AI model are still unclear. However, an August update to DeepSeek's V3 model was described as a "first step toward the agent era."
AI revolution
DeepSeek's R1 reasoning model challenged US AI firms
Earlier this year, DeepSeek stunned the world with its R1 reasoning model. The AI left chatbot users in awe by giving them a behind-the-scenes look at how it "thinks" and processes requests. This move put rivals such as OpenAI, Google and Meta in the shade, proving that Chinese companies could produce high-quality AI models at a fraction of the cost of their US counterparts. That announcement triggered sharp market reactions, with NVIDIA's valuation dropping by $600 billion in a day.
Security fears
Concerns over national security and data privacy
The emergence of DeepSeek has raised national security concerns in the US and intensified the race to dominate global AI technology. There are worries that American user data could be accessed by the Chinese government through these models. The Biden and Trump administrations have advanced policy frameworks designed to keep the most advanced AI models under US control and out of reach of Chinese surveillance or influence.