The emergence of DeepSeek vs ChatGPT – how do they compare? - BBC News
The emergence of Chinese AI app DeepSeek has shocked financial markets and prompted US President Donald Trump to describe it as "a wake-up call" for the US tech industry. DeepSeek's claim that its R1 artificial intelligence (AI) model was made at a fraction of the cost of its rivals has raised questions about the future of the whole industry and caused some of the world's biggest companies to sink in value. DeepSeek has become the most downloaded free app in the US just a week after it was launched.
Comparison to US Rivals
How does DeepSeek compare to its much more established and apparently much more expensive US rivals, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini? When you ask ChatGPT what the most popular reasons to use ChatGPT are, it says that assisting people to write is one of them. From gathering and summarising information in a helpful format to even writing blog posts on a topic, ChatGPT has become an AI companion for many across different workplaces.
As a proud Scottish football fan, I asked ChatGPT and DeepSeek to summarise the best Scottish football players ever and to "draft a blog post summarising the best Scottish football players in history".
DeepSeek responded with a top ten list, with Kenny Dalglish of Liverpool and Celtic ranked number one. It detailed the player's positions, their clubs, and a brief list of their achievements. It also mentioned two non-Scottish players - Rangers legend Brian Laudrup and Celtic hero Henrik Larsson.
ChatGPT's answer contained many of the same names, with "King Kenny" once again at the top of the list. Its detailed blog post briefly and accurately went into the careers of all the players.
AI Models and Coding
The emergence of advanced AI models has made a difference to people who code. Javier Aguirre, an AI researcher at Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea, shared his positive experience with DeepSeek in assisting with coding.
He highlighted that for coders, the combination of models can lead to success. This sentiment was echoed by Addy Osmani, the Head of Chrome Developer Experience at Google. Osmani mentioned that DeepSeek was "significantly cheaper" to use than other models.
Storytelling and Historical Explanations
When tasked with providing ideas for a story about a boy who lives on the moon, ChatGPT and DeepSeek both responded with creative suggestions. DeepSeek, in particular, provided a detailed story called "Luna and the Boy Who Chased the Stars".
Regarding explaining complex historical events like the First World War, the chatbots performed well in providing detailed accounts and key factors. Google's Gemini assistant also offered similar insights.
Conclusion
The tasks set for the chatbots point to a significant observation - the winner of the AI race is far from decided. The rise of Chinese AI app DeepSeek demonstrates that achievements in AI can be emulated, challenging the dominance of US tech firms.
Prof Neil Lawrence, DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge, emphasized that this is just the beginning and there is potential for further innovation in AI models.
As seen across various tasks, DeepSeek proves to be a formidable competitor to its US counterparts.
