Skeptic Check: Into the DeepSeek

Big Picture Science

Science, Technology

4.6 • 986 Ratings

🗓️ 17 February 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When the Chinese developer of DeepSeek released its model R1, a rift opened up in Silicon Valley. The company, a relatively unknown player, appeared to have created a better and cheaper model than its American competitors. Some big voices in the tech world called it a “Sputnik moment.” Others worried that the open-source model would allow malicious actors to harness the power of this AI technology. But did the arrival of DeepSeek significantly change how artificial intelligence will unfold? We explore that question and ask whether one particular sci-fi franchise got it right when portraying our anxiety about runaway AI. Guests: Alex Kantrowitz – Tech journalist and founder of the podcast and newsletter Big Technology Kristian Hammond – Professor of computer science at Northwestern University and Director of the Center for Advancing Safety of Machine Intelligence Dorian Lynskey – podcaster and author of “Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World” Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact [email protected] to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:36.3	As a long time foreign correspondent, I've worked in lots of places, but nowhere is important to the world as China.
0:43.5	I'm Jane Perlase, former Beijing Bureau Chief for the New York Times.
0:47.7	On face-off, the U.S. versus China will explore what's critical to this important global relationship.
0:54.2	Trump and Xi Jinping, AI, TikTok, and Twitter. will explore what's critical to this important global relationship.
0:59.4	Trump and Xi Jinping, AI, TikTok, and even Hollywood.
1:24.4	New episodes of Face Off are available to be nothing, if not unpredictable.
1:27.0	Well, about that, at least they were right.
1:32.0	There's a Chinese startup that few people had ever heard of until the past few days,
1:38.9	and it has emerged as a real player in the AI arms race. It's called Deep Seek.
1:45.9	The arrival of Deep Seek sparked a frenzy. It immediately threatened the dominance of American AI and generated both public excitement and alarm about the role of AI in our lives.
1:50.0	AI generated content already floods our information ecosystem, from social media to children's
1:56.7	classrooms to family group chats. So is Deep Seek just another feature of this AI landscape?
2:03.5	Or is it a seismic rift, as some of the buzz suggests?
2:07.6	I'm Seth Shostak.
2:09.1	Welcome to Big Picture Science.
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