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Sam Altman Calls DeepSeek R1 ‘Impressive,’ Pat Gelsinger Adopts Model at Gloo Over OpenAI

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James Morales
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Key Takeaways

  • Sam Altman has acknowledged the new OpenAI rival DeepSeek.
  • Companies including Gloo have opted to use DeepSeek R1 instead of OpenAI’s o1.
  • Gloo founder Pat Gelsinger said the new open-source models prove that “open wins” over closed AI.

DeepSeek R1 has rocked the AI world in the week since its debut, grabbing the attention of researchers and business leaders alike.

Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has acknowledged being impressed by the new model. Meanwhile, decision-makers, including former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, have embraced R1’s much lower cost compared to its peers.

Companies Exploring DeepSeek R1 Use

Some of the first companies to adopt DeepSeek R1 are AI startups. For example, the Shenzhen-based MicroCloud Hologram Inc. plans  to adopt the model to power its “holographic AI applications.”

However, even large corporations have expressed an interest in the technology.

According to Business Insider , Toyota and Stripe have petitioned AWS to host DeepSeek R1 on its cloud AI platform. 

Gelsinger Backs Open-Source AI

Joining a string of startups that are working with the new Chinese AI model, Pat Gelsinger, who recently founded the chatbot developer Gloo, said R1 was so good it had convinced the startup not to pay for OpenAI’s rival service.

“Gloo engineers are running R1 today,” he told  TechCrunch. “They could’ve run [OpenAI] o1” he added, but opted to explore open-source models instead.

In a post on X , Gelsinger argued that R1 demonstrates the strength of open-source approaches more generally, stating that “DeepSeek will help reset the increasingly closed world of foundational AI model work.”

Altman Weighs in on R1 vs. o1

With companies like Gloo favoring DeepSeek’s more efficient, open-source AI to OpenAI’s comparatively expensive, closed models, Altman acknowledged the new competition in an X post  on Tuesday, Jan. 28.

R1 “is an impressive model, particularly around what they’re able to deliver for the price,” he said. However, he added that OpenAI plans to deliver “much better models” and that the new competition is “invigorating.”

Altman suggested that OpenAI has no plans to alter course and will continue to focus on achieving AGI.

Despite the rising demand for smaller, more efficient models, he said, “more compute is more important now than ever before to succeed at our mission.

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James Morales

Although his background is in crypto and FinTech news, these days, James likes to roam across CCN’s editorial breadth, focusing mostly on digital technology. Having always been fascinated by the latest innovations, he uses his platform as a journalist to explore how new technologies work, why they matter and how they might shape our future.
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