Researchers say that DeepSeek training costs were 1,3 billion, not 6 million.

When we talk about China and its authoritarian commanding system. We must realize. That the costs that authoritarian governments and companies that cooperate with them are what the government wants. In China, there is no business without government. The real costs of AI training might form in different ways in China than in Europe. Those ways might be different than we follow in Western countries. 

If governmental offices like intelligence and the People's Liberation Army participate in the AI projects. Those offices are not telling their salaries and costs. There is also suspicion that the Chinese military intelligence offered data, that it gets from hackers to that company. The DeepSeek follows the honorable road of hypersonic missiles and stealth fighters. That algorithm came from nowhere. 

Maybe some part of the code is developed using methods that will not accepted in Europe or other Western countries. The Chinese government uses hackers to steal data that it thinks to benefit it. And there is no way to resist the Chinese government, if and when it wants to participate in some AI project. 

And it's possible. Only the people. Those who are hired by a company. That markets the software take salaries from that work. The entire company can be coulisse. And the project itself is controlled by the People's Liberation Army, PLA. Or, would you download software that the developer is marked as  PLA or "National Police of China"? 

The company's purpose is to make the software or application more attractive. The other thing is this. It's possible. The Chinese government didn't even ask the DeepSeek needed its support. If DeepSeek says "no" that means the end of the business. 

As I wrote before, it's possible. The Chinese government's hackers gave information about DeepSeek. The hacking that happens under the Chinese government's control is suspected of being behind China's fast technological advance. And AI development is at a high level on government's priority. Chinese authorities are interested in the AI's military, intelligence, and surveillance applications. 

That means there is one way in China that developers must follow. That is if the government suggests something the only way to answer is "yes". Other answers cause problems in business. Or, the person who gives that wrong answer will transform to mine worker. 

https://interestingengineering.com/culture/deepseeks-ai-training-cost-billion

Images. InterestingEngineering. 

DeepSeek and its connections.

When you use DeepSeek you know what you use. The program runs on Chinese servers. And it must follow Chinese regulations.  That is the thing in every program. The system tells that it collects data, and that's it. That system is free to use. And that is one of the reasons why we should think about AI very seriously. In the case that somebody does something in China. There is a government behind or with that thing. 

If DeepSeek is freeware. There must be something that its competitors offer. Or Chinese company takes their customers. The question is: Where does the Chinese company behind the Deep Seek get money to pay workers their salaries? The free software doesn't bring money to the company. And that is a good thing to remember. So, DeepSeek is an interesting thing. I tested it. And it was quite an interesting experience. But it won't make images. So, that's why the image above was made using Gemini. 

There is a possibility that the Chinese want to pull rags from below Western AI companies. So, when the Chinese give their AI for free, nobody wants to pay the price. And that takes customers from Western AI companies and ends their research work. The DeepSeek is the tool that makes everything different. It uses powerful and advanced algorithms. 

And it's lightweight. The DeepSeek will make AI development more effective. It doesn't need the most advanced microchips. And that means it's easy to run on a little bit older hardware. Because the DeepSeek doesn't need the most powerful microchips. Is easy to use in countries where the newest microchips are not allowed to transport. That new AI boosts the AI advance on all fronts. The Western companies must have something to offer or their Chinese competitor will take their marketing position.