China enters AI arena with DeepSeek: Letters to the Editor Feb. 1, 2025

The Issue: Market concerns over Chinese start-up DeepSeek disrupting the AI sector.The Chinese want us to think they can produce the same AI results for millions of dollars that costs us billions (“Red Alert,” Jan.28)?Not so fast — remember they also said the Wuhan Lab didn’t start COVID.

Before we give up, let’s consider China’s costs may be underestimated, because the Chinese government may have intervened.Considering that, DeepSeek’s costs may be similar or higher than ours to produce these similar results.So at the end of the day, US-based tech giants may not have overspent on AI, but the Chinese government may have slanted their numbers by not including their funding in Chinese AI technology.Eric MarberblattBoston, Mass.Before we rush to judgment on the claims that a Chinese company has found a much cheaper form of AI, we should wait to see if this is just another case of Chinese propaganda.We are in a time when President Trump has vowed to play hardball with the country, and must not make hasty conclusions.John GiriatThe BronxDeepSeek has just dealt a major blow to our tech industry, hopefully only temporarily.China’s AI model is now at the forefront of the advanced technology world, leaving the United States to play catch-up to the Chinese model.According to Trump, DeepSeek serves as a wake-up call for tech giants like Larry Ellison and Elon Musk.Whether or not this technology is a trendsetter, the Nasdaq took a hit, with billions of dollars lost in the process.Ron ZajicekCortlandChina is our biggest geopolitical and moral adversary in the world.While DeepSeek may be the latest buzz, I issue a word of caution.China doesn’t tell the truth about anything — so why should we believe what it’s saying now?And if it’s true, who believes it achieved this without espionage? The Department of Justice must investigate how China “allegedly” leapfrogged America in the AI race.Charlie HonadelVenice, Fla.

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