DeepSeek is making waves in the AI world with its impressive efficiency gains in large language models (LLMs), which will significantly impact the nature and economics of LLM applications. However, it's essential to separate the hype from reality – DeepSeek doesn't represent a fundamental breakthrough in artificial general intelligence (AGI) or a paradigm shift in AI innovation.
Instead, DeepSeek's achievement is a significant optimization of existing technologies, making high-quality LLMs more accessible and affordable. Its Mixture of Experts (MoE) model, a novel tweak of an established ensemble learning technique, reduces computational costs by activating only 37 billion of its 671 billion parameters at a time.
The open-source approach taken by DeepSeek is also noteworthy, as it fosters rapid innovation, broader adoption, and collective improvement. This move is in contrast to the proprietary strategies of other AI companies, and it's expected to drive funding into alternative AI architectures and decentralized AI networks.
The term "Cambrian AI" refers to the rapid growth and diversification of AI models, similar to the Cambrian Explosion in life on Earth around 540 million years ago. This concept highlights the accelerating progress in AI, with DeepSeek being one of many moments in this unfolding megatrend.
