Yesterday, the world witnessed an unprecedented event: the launch of Deep Seek, a next-generation artificial intelligence that promises to redefine how businesses, governments, and society use technology. Its debut not only caused a stir in the tech world but also triggered a massive drop in the stock prices of giants like Nvidia, Microsoft, and Alphabet, leaving analysts and investors questioning what this phenomenon means for the future.
Deep Seek presents itself as an Artificial Intelligence with advanced capabilities that go beyond current limits. While technologies like OpenAI have been developed in highly controlled environments with exclusive access to certain users, Deep Seek was created under a decentralized and collaborative model.
This means it does not belong to a single company or corporation but is the result of global collaboration among researchers, startups, and artificial intelligence experts. The result? A tool capable of adapting, learning, and processing data across multiple domains, with applications ranging from weather prediction to molecular design or financial analysis.
Although OpenAI and Deep Seek share similarities—such as their ability to interpret natural language and solve complex problems—there is a key difference in their approach: OpenAI prioritizes responsible development with restricted and carefully supervised access, while Deep Seek was released to the public almost without restrictions.
The impact of Deep Seek on the stock market did not go unnoticed. Following its launch, the shares of leading tech companies like Nvidia and Microsoft abruptly fell between 8% and 12% in a matter of hours. Why did this happen?
The answer lies in the market’s perception of the value of current technologies. Deep Seek, with its ability to solve problems faster and at a lower cost, threatens to displace the traditional business models of many tech companies. For example:
- Advanced hardware: Nvidia, known for its leadership in manufacturing GPUs used to train AI models, could face reduced demand if Deep Seek popularizes more efficient methods requiring fewer computing resources.
- Software and platforms: Microsoft, with its strong investment in Azure and OpenAI, faces the challenge of competing against a technology that does not rely on its closed ecosystem.
- Proprietary ecosystems: Alphabet, Google’s parent company, also suffered losses as developers might opt for an open AI like Deep Seek over Google’s proprietary solutions.
In essence, Deep Seek changed the game: by democratizing access to high-level artificial intelligence, large corporations can no longer maintain the same control over the market.
While OpenAI has been a pioneer in artificial intelligence, Deep Seek represents a different vision of what AI can be. Here’s a comparison between the two:
- Accessibility: OpenAI follows a cautious approach, ensuring its technology is used ethically and responsibly. In contrast, Deep Seek is open-access, meaning anyone can leverage its potential, though this also increases the risk of misuse.
- Collaboration vs. centralization: OpenAI is backed by large corporations and operates in a closed environment. Deep Seek, on the other hand, was developed in a decentralized ecosystem, enabling faster advancements and greater diversity of approaches.
- Security and regulation: While OpenAI invests heavily in mitigating ethical and security risks, Deep Seek has been criticized for its launch without sufficient safeguards, which could lead to unexpected consequences.
The launch of Deep Seek underscores a fundamental shift in how artificial intelligence is conceived. Its initial success raises crucial questions about the balance between innovation, regulation, and responsibility.
On the one hand, its open model democratizes access to advanced tools, allowing small businesses and independent developers to compete on equal footing with tech giants. On the other, its unrestricted nature could open the door to significant risks, such as the use of AI for malicious purposes or market destabilization.
In the long term, it is likely that large corporations will adapt by investing in new ways to compete or collaborating with open technologies. However, the question remains: how can we balance radical innovation with security and sustainability?
Deep Seek is not just a technology but a turning point. Its impact on the markets and the perception of artificial intelligence will be studied for years, marking the beginning of a new era where collaboration and openness could redefine the future of technology.