DeepSeek, a new Chinese AI company, is under fire after its technology made waves on Wall Street. The maker of ChatGPT and David Sacks, an AI adviser to Donald Trump, says DeepSeek may have copied OpenAI’s technology. But neither has shown clear proof of theft.
Alleged knowledge theft
Sacks said that DeepSeek has “extracted” knowledge from OpenAI models after placing restrictive clauses on their functions. He added that the company is not happy about this. This process, called distillation, allows smaller AI models to learn by asking larger models intelligent questions. Some claim that many Chinese companies are trying to copy America’s AI industry, and the accusations against DeepSeek have intensified as concerns over censorship and data privacy arise.
Response from industry leaders
OpenAI bans distillation in its rules. The company and Microsoft work to block accounts using this method. Microsoft did not comment.
Silence amid AI rivalry
DeepSeek and its hedge fund partner, High-Flyer, have not commented. The Chinese New Year holiday could explain the delay.
As AI competition grows, intellectual property issues are getting more attention.