DeepSeek Tests Meta’s Ambition for US Open-Source AI Dominance
- Chinese startup’s innovation underlines questions about access
- Open-source advocates say US models must be the foundation
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Mark Zuckerberg has long championed Meta Platforms Inc.’s open-source approach to artificial intelligence software — which lets other companies access and build on top of its technology — saying that having an American model as the underpinning of new products was key to ensuring US dominance over China in AI.
Now the emergence of DeepSeek, a state-of-the-art AI model from China, is pressure-testing Zuckerberg’s strategy and threatening the home-grown advantage for the US. The Chinese startup says its technology uses a fraction of the cost and computing power of its American rivals, and it’s offering an open-source alternative to Meta’s Llama and other made-in-the-USA models.