Google's AI boss casts doubts on DeepSeek's efficiency claims, calls them exaggerated and misleading

Google’s Hassabis acknowledged DeepSeek’s accomplishments but described its reported cost-efficiency figures as “exaggerated and a little bit misleading.” Hassabis also hinted that DeepSeek may have relied heavily on knowledge gained from existing Western AI models to develop its own. Image Credit: Reuters Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, has expressed doubts over recent claims made by Chinese AI startup DeepSeek regarding its model’s cost efficiency. Speaking at the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris, Hassabis acknowledged DeepSeek’s accomplishments but described its reported cost-efficiency figures as “exaggerated and a little bit misleading.” DeepSeek recently gained global attention with its R1 model, which it claims can rival OpenAI’s GPT-4-level o1 model despite being trained for just $5.6 million—a fraction of the $100 million-plus that OpenAI reportedly spent on GPT-4. The real test: Innovation and long-term impact While DeepSeek’s reported efficiency figures are impressive on paper, industry leaders like Hassabis suggest that true success in AI comes down to long-term innovation and reliability rather than bold claims.