Google DeepMind CEO says DeepSeek’s AI model is ‘best work’ from China, but hype is ‘exaggerated’

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis praised DeepSeek, stating that its AI model “is probably the best work” to come out of China. But he added that the company has not shown any recent scientific advancements.

Hassabis' statement follows the release of a research paper by the Chinese company, which claims that its AI model was trained at a fraction of the cost incurred by several leading AI companies and without the use of highly advanced Nvidia chips, CNBC reported.

This ultimately led to an aggressive stock sell-off, leaving global markets unsettled.

'Impressive piece of work'

Speaking at a Google event in Paris, which is set to host the AI Action Summit, Demis Hassabis praised DeepSeek's AI model, calling it an "impressive piece of work."

“I think it’s probably the best work I’ve seen come out of China,” CNBC quoted Hassabis as saying.

However, he noted that DeepSeek has not introduced any major technological breakthroughs but shown "extremely good engineering."

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Hassabis also highlighted its broader impact, stating that it has changed "things on a geopolitical scale."

‘Exaggerated’

The Google DeepMind CEO feels DeepSeek is only using known techniques in the world of artificial intelligence. As such, the hype around it is “exaggerated a little bit.”

“Despite the hype, there’s no actual new scientific advance. It’s using known techniques (in AI),” he said.

Also, he claimed that the Gemini 2.0 Flash models, which were unveiled by Google recently, were more efficient than the AI model of DeepSeek.

Future of AGI

On being asked about artificial general intelligence (AGI), Hassabis said the AI sector remains "on the path towards AGI".

Hassabis described AGI as a system capable of demonstrating all the cognitive abilities that humans possess. He suggested that such a breakthrough could be just five years away, marking an extraordinary milestone in artificial intelligence.

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He stressed the importance of society being prepared for its arrival and the wide-ranging implications it may have. Hassabis highlighted the need to ensure that AGI’s benefits are accessible to all while also taking proactive steps to mitigate potential risks.

FAQs

1. When is AI Action Summit?
France is all set to hold the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit at the Grand Palais on February 10 and 11.

2. Who is Demis Hassabis?
Hassabis serves as the co-founder and CEO of Google DeepMind, a leading AI research groups that has produced several researches like AlphaGo and AlphaFold.