Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs
DeepSeek shows the potential to create powerful AI models with fewer computing resources. Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash.
This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we dive deep into DeepSeek, the AI project shaking up the tech world, to better understand the underlying technical advances and the long-term implications for the industry.
Bill Howe. (UW Photo)
Joining us is Bill Howe, an associate professor at the University of Washington’s Information School and the co-founding director of the UW Center for Responsible AI Systems and Experiences, among other UW roles.
DeepSeek, an open-source AI model from a Chinese company, grabbed attention for its ability to rival the performance of top AI reasoning models with a stripped-down technique for post-training.
These capabilities were previously believed to require much more complex and resource-intensive methods. In that way, it illustrates the potential for more efficient ways of creating powerful AI models.
Overall, Howe said, the trend promises to help democratize access to AI models of varying sizes.
“That will accelerate the move into an agentic era where we have agents working on our behalf, scurrying around,” Howe predicted. “There’s a lot of downsides to that, potentially, but there’s also potentially a lot of upsides. But I think you’ll see this year that come to fruition.”
Related stories:
My colleague John Cook and I open the show from the Microsoft campus in Redmond, after getting an inside look at the company’s history for an upcoming installment in our Microsoft @ 50 series.
John marvels at the size of the campus redevelopment, which is still under way. Listen to the end to hear our first-hand experience with Microsoft’s vast parking garage when we attempt to leave.
Also on our agenda this week: Amazon’s lawsuit against Washington state over a Washington Post public records request related to Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite venture, and what it says about the conflicts inherent to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ ownership of the paper.
Related story: Bezos vs. Bezos: Amazon sues WA state over Washington Post request for Kuiper records
Audio editing by Curt Milton.
