Did DeepSeek Copy ChatGPT? A New Allegation Shakes the AI Landscape

TDT | Manama

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The upstart Chinese tech company, DeepSeek, is facing allegations that it copied ChatGPT to create artificial intelligence technology that caused a stir on Wall Street this week. OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, along with U.S. President Donald Trump’s top AI adviser, David Sacks, have hinted at potential intellectual property theft. However, neither has provided specific evidence to back these claims, sparking a debate on the legality and ethics of AI development.

“There’s substantial evidence that what DeepSeek did here is they distilled the knowledge out of OpenAI’s models,” Sacks said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. “And I don’t think OpenAI is very happy about this.” Distillation refers to a technique that allows one AI model to learn from a more advanced, pre-existing model by repeatedly querying it.

Despite the claims, DeepSeek and its parent hedge fund, High-Flyer, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The timing coincides with China’s extended Lunar New Year holiday, which may explain the lack of response.

OpenAI has long expressed concerns about Chinese companies attempting to replicate or “distill” its models. While the company did not directly call out DeepSeek, it issued a statement cautioning that China-based firms are actively trying to distill models from leading U.S. AI companies. OpenAI's official terms of service ban the distillation technique, and the company has taken steps to prevent such activity. Working with Microsoft, OpenAI is tracking and blocking accounts that attempt to reverse-engineer its models.

"We will work closely with the U.S. government to protect the most capable models from adversaries and competitors attempting to leverage U.S. technology," OpenAI added in its statement.

Despite these efforts, OpenAI itself has faced accusations of intellectual property infringement. The company is currently embroiled in lawsuits filed by media organizations, book authors, and other content creators, who claim that ChatGPT used their copyrighted material without permission. These cases are still making their way through the U.S. courts, raising questions about the broader implications of AI development.

Lutz Finger, a tech investor and lecturer at Cornell University, responded to the accusations, arguing that the issue of distillation is complex and not exclusive to DeepSeek. “Distillation will violate most terms of service, yet it’s ironic — or even hypocritical — that Big Tech is calling it out,” Finger remarked. “Training ChatGPT on Forbes or New York Times content also violated their terms of service.”

As the debate over intellectual property and AI technology intensifies, DeepSeek’s rise has prompted a closer look at the broader dynamics of AI development, both in the U.S. and internationally. With the backing of major tech companies like Microsoft, OpenAI has made strides in securing its AI models. However, the case of DeepSeek serves as a stark reminder of the challenges the industry faces in balancing innovation with legal and ethical considerations.

The coming weeks are likely to bring more clarity on whether DeepSeek's advancements were the result of questionable practices or legitimate breakthroughs in AI development. Until then, the world watches closely as this high-stakes drama unfolds.