OpenAI has some accusations leveled against its overnight rival, DeepSeek. A spokesperson from the tech giant has stated that they believe information from ChatGPT was used to train the DeepSeek R1.
When DeepSeek R1 was released on Monday, OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, shared a Twitter(X) post. In the post, Altman congratulated the Chinese company, emphasizing the progressive ability of the model for a fraction of the cost.
However, in recent events, OpenAI stated that DeepSeek used information from ChatGPT to train their model’.
OpenAI’s Accusations: What’s Happening?
A spokesperson from OpenAI has stated that Chinese developers may be using “distillation” to train their models on information from ChatGPT. This process involves breaking down a larger AI model’s knowledge. The resulting knowledge is then used to enhance a smaller, more efficient model, often at a fraction of the cost.
Although OpenAI has not named specific companies, industry insiders suggest that multiple AI apps in China are benefiting from its work.
Microsoft Launches Investigation
Bloomberg has reported that Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest investor, is looking into things. And if accusations are confirmed, there could be legal implications. But, as of now, DeepSeek has remained silent on the issue.
Intellectual Property in AI
AI models are built by training on vast amounts of publicly available and proprietary data. But with all the lawsuits and accusations coming up, where do we draw the line? What separates inspiration and imitation?
Although many things are unclear at the moment, this brewing issue echoes some key things:
- Legal restrictions and AI copyright laws are still underway.
- Companies want their hard-earned resources protected from unauthorized use. Data/models are born out of the billions pumped into AI research.
- If AI knowledge can be easily copied, how will innovation be rewarded?
In the midst of this, OpenAI’s past is being thrown into the spotlight. The tech giant has been accused of unauthorized use of information. And many lawsuits have been filed to that effect. Still, OpenAI claims it only uses publicly available data for training its models.
Also read: OpenAI Deletes Key Data, Copyright Lawsuit Intensifies
We read all the AI news and test the best tools so you don’t have to. Then we send 30,000+ profesionnals a weekly email showing how to leverage it all to: 📈 Increase their income 🚀 Get more done ⚡ Save time.
How OpenAI Plans to Respond
In response to these concerns, OpenAI is exploring some options. Although OpenAI has a reputation for its closed-source models, it plans to enact:
- Stricter API access and security measures
- Improved tracking of how its models are used
- Possible legal action against companies found to be using its work without permission
A Start of an AI War?
This accusation by OpenAI comes in succession of some events. The first is the appointment of an AI Czar to tend to AI matters in the U.S. Also, the $500 billion AI funding by President Donald Trump. The fund was initiated to make the United States No. 1 in AI, globally.
With recent events, Trump’s dreams may be a far throw from reality.
