DeepSeek has rattled the AI industry - here's a look at other Chinese AI models
DeepSeek has rattled the AI industry - here's a look at other Chinese AI models
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Chinese artificial intelligence firm, DeepSeek, has sent shockwaves through the market with claims that its latest AI model, R1, matches the performance of those from OpenAI, despite using less advanced computer chips and consuming less energy. The emergence of DeepSeek has sparked fears that China may have leapfrogged the US in the AI race, despite restrictions on its access to the most advanced chips.
It's just one of many Chinese companies striving to make China the global leader in AI by 2030, outpacing the U.S. in their tech supremacy battle. Like the U.S., China is pouring billions into AI. Just last week, it established a 60 billion yuan ($8.2bn) AI investment fund, mere days after the US imposed new chip export restrictions. Beijing is also heavily investing in the semiconductor industry to boost its ability to produce advanced computer chips, aiming to overcome limitations on its access to those of industry leaders.
Companies are rolling out talent programmes and subsidies, with plans to launch AI academies and incorporate AI education into primary and secondary school curriculums. China has put in place regulations governing AI, addressing safety, privacy and ethics.
Its ruling Communist Party also dictates the kinds of topics the AI models can address: DeepSeek tailors its responses to fit within these boundaries. Here's a snapshot of some other leading AI models in China. Alibaba Cloud's Qwen-2.5-1M, part of the e-commerce giant's open-source AI series, is making strides in handling long questions and engaging in deeper conversations. The model's ability to comprehend complex tasks such as reasoning, dialogues and code is improving.
