The world is witnessing a bizarre change in the way artificial intelligence (AI) is taking over the world, as new players have emerged to threaten the dominance of long-standing industry behemoths.

Among them, China’s DeepSeek has quickly gained international attention, positioning itself as a formidable competitor in the AI industry.

DeepSeek’s rise is particularly noteworthy because it comes amidst heightened global competition, stringent US export restrictions on advanced semiconductor technology, and a growing AI divide between the world’s leading economies.

With dominating OpenAI’s ChatGPT, DeepSeek AI Assistant has become the most downloaded free application on Apple’s App Store in the United States, a feat that surprised many in the tech industry.

The company’s ability to develop a cost-efficient, high-performing AI model—the R1—at a fraction of the cost of similar models developed by Western firms has raised eyebrows.

As per the statistics, DeepSeek built its model with an investment of under $6 million, whereas its competitors spent hundreds of millions on AI model training. This remarkable efficiency highlights an important reality: innovation does not necessarily require excessive spending but rather strategic planning, research investment, and a strong talent base.

Pakistan, like many developing nations, finds itself at a crossroads when it comes to AI adoption. While the government and private sector are increasingly recognizing AI’s transformative potential, the country still lags behind in AI research, development, and practical implementation.

DeepSeek’s success offers key takeaways for........

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