DeepSeek AI: A Professional Assessment and Future Outlook
There’s a lot of chatter about DeepSeek AI right now – some of it informed, some of it…not so much.
It’s easy to get lost in the hype, the rumors, and the wild predictions.
So, how do you figure out what DeepSeek AI is really all about?
We asked the people who would know best: tech leaders, executives, and those deeply involved in the AI world.
This post cuts through the noise and gives you their straight-up assessments, forecasts, and professional opinions on DeepSeek AI.
Get ready for a clear, no-nonsense look at this platform’s present and future.
Read on!
Steven Hahn
I believe DeepSeek AI will be irrelevant in 6 months.
DeepSeek R1 being open-sourced will allow current competitors to catch up, but I don’t think they’ll be able to sell their LLMs now that a free option exists.
The general public now understands that the paid AI models we once thought were years ahead aren’t actually that advanced for their price point.
DeepSeek AI isn’t profitable and will run into the same issues current AI giants are facing: making an AI product people are willing to pay for.
Another LLM, whether from the US, China, or somewhere else, will surprise and shock the market just like DeepSeek has done.
DeepSeek has changed the course of AI history but won’t be part of it anymore.
Steven Hahn
Digital Marketing Specialist, Online Optimism
Abhilash Garimella
DeepSeek’s open-source LLMs have gained significant adoption and are already becoming a favorite AI model. However, as its popularity increases, it is also attracting cybercriminals, who are quickly adapting their manipulation strategies resulting in greater security risk to users.
Bolster has already observed a surge in phishing attempts, fake domains, and scams targeting DeepSeek users.
Cybercriminals are exploiting the brand’s growing reputation to deceive unsuspecting individuals through fake login pages, crypto wallet scams and fake social media support pages. Many of the fraudulent domains were created or updated on the very same day DeepSeek gained widespread notoriety.
DeepSeek will continue to be a popular model and deliver value, however we urge users to remain vigilant.
Users are cautioned to verify sources before entering sensitive information and double-check URLs for inconsistencies. As always, never trust unsolicited requests for login credentials or financial details.
Abhilash Garimella
Vice President of AI, Research and SOC, Bolster
Christopher Pappas
Even if DeepSeek delivers a high-performing AI model, its biggest hurdle is user adoption.
Many organizations hesitate to switch from existing AI tools due to workflow dependencies and established integrations.
DeepSeek must offer seamless API integrations, enterprise support, and reliability metrics to succeed.
A strong AI model won’t break the industry’s attachment to existing providers without these.
Dr. Serena Huang
Overall I am impressed with DeepSeek R1 and find its UI to be better.
Concerns around censored information/bias reinforcement: DeepSeek AI is being used not just as a tool for generating data and insights but can become a means of reinforcing political narratives, limiting what people can access and learn.
This form of censorship poses a clear challenge: how do we ensure that the content generated by AI is unbiased, fair, and representative of a diverse range of viewpoints?
Other AI models may contain different biases and political viewpoints as well. It’s more important than ever to not fall for “free” tools and consider who’s investing in the company and what you are giving up in exchange for this “free” tool. (Because really, nothing is free.)
Related to the above, in an era of potential AI censorship, critical thinking becomes even more important to ensure we can detect misinformation and manipulation.
Companies need to recognize that AI should not be seen as a replacement for human judgment/decision making and empathy but rather as a complement to human skills.
As AI systems continue to evolve, there will be an increasing need for people to use their critical thinking skills to challenge any biases or unfair practices that may emerge.
Dr. Serena Huang
Top AI Keynote Speaker, Data with Serena
Guy Korland
DeepSeek-R1, has demonstrated impressive capabilities in understanding complex language structures, which is particularly beneficial for entity relationship extraction and knowledge graph construction.
Notably, DeepSeek-R1’s performance is comparable to leading models like OpenAI’s GPT-4o.
By leveraging DeepSeek’s technology, we can enhance the accuracy and efficiency of identifying entities and their interrelations, leading to more comprehensive knowledge graphs.
Guy Korland
CEO, FalkorDB
Seymour Duncker
While the initial launch of DeepSeek rattled the markets, this will not be the game-changing technology that takes the AI industry to the next level of delivering game-changing applications.
DeepSeek has shown the capabilities we have to build upon existing tech advancements to be comparable to other AI models at a fraction of the resources and cost.
Generative AI foundation models like ChatGPT and DeepSeek are getting to the same capability levels in terms of the basic tasks they can handle (summarization, re-writing, code generation etc.). Further innovation in this area of AI will be determined by who can best provide the tooling for application developers to build on top.
In my opinion, the next big theme is Agentic AI, also known as reasoning-based AI or cognitive AI.
As the name suggests, these applications elicit pragmatic reasoning capabilities of Large Language Models to autonomously plan, make decisions and take actions to achieve those plans, however, within the tight context of a highly controlled application flow.
We’re only at the beginning stages of development in this area, and applications like Agentforce are entering the market to unlock the full potential of this new paradigm.
Seymour Duncker
Executive Strategist of AI & ML, Decision Counsel
Ricky Ho
DeepSeek AI is poised to redefine the AI landscape with its advanced learning models and efficiency-driven approach.
While ChatGPT has dominated the space, DeepSeek’s unique architecture and focus on real-time adaptability could challenge industry norms.
The key differentiator? Its ability to process and predict trends with precision, making it a game-changer for businesses leveraging AI.
Ricky Ho
CEO, SourceReady
Vered Horesh
The rise of DeepSeek shows that building cutting-edge models is becoming faster and cheaper; but it begs the question: How can organizations build long-term strategies on such shifting sands?
Instead of chasing the next-best foundational model, maybe maturity in the AI space means knowing when to stop. The real value may not lie in having the “best model” but in building robust pipelines tailored to your organization’s needs.
As foundational models become commoditized, the value will increasingly shift to the layers built on top—the applications, fine-tuned processes, and domain-specific solutions that deliver real impact.
The question isn’t “Who has the best model?” anymore. It’s “Who can derive the most value from it?” Are we ready to pivot our focus from model innovation to pipeline innovation?
Vered Horesh
Chief of Strategic AI Partnerships, Bria
Sanju Zachariah
As a Software Specialist and former IT Program Manager, my assessment of DeepSeek AI is cautiously optimistic. Despite the mix of headlines, controversies, and rumors, DeepSeek AI demonstrates impressive potential, particularly in its innovative use of deep learning for enhanced data retrieval.
The current debates underscore important issues transparency in algorithm design, data privacy, and ethical AI practices that must be addressed.
If the developers can proactively tackle these challenges with clear communication and robust safeguards, DeepSeek AI could set new industry benchmarks.
In essence, while skepticism remains warranted, the technology’s underlying promise and its capacity to transform data-driven decision-making make it a development to monitor closely as it evolves.
Sanju Zachariah
Owner and President, Portiva
Bob Gourley
Think of AI as a very smart assistant, it can help us work faster, identify cyber threats, and make smart decisions. But in the wrong hands, or without the right controls in place, it can also become an actual threat. That’s where my role comes in.
I’ve been studying cybersecurity, intelligence, and emerging tech for years. As the author of The Cyber Threat and a former CTO for the Defense Intelligence Agency, I’ve seen firsthand how cutting-edge tech can be used for good or evil.
DeepSeek AI has tremendous potential. If built responsibly, it would make security smarter and businesses more informed. But AI as potent as this also has risks associated with it, hackers would try to trick it, malicious users could use it to launch cyberattacks, and poor security would leave it as a vulnerability.
The real challenge is not making AI smarter. It is making sure that it is kept safe, controlled, and used for the right reasons. That is the key to its future.
Bob Gourley
Chief Technology Officer & Author, The Cyber Threat
On behalf of the Techronicler community of readers, we thank these leaders and experts for taking the time to share valuable insights that stem from years of experience and in-depth expertise in their respective niches.
If you wish to showcase your experience and expertise, participate in industry-leading discussions, and add visibility and impact to your personal brand and business, get in touch with the Techronicler team to feature in our fast-growing publication.
