“DeepSeek AI Model Spurs NVIDIA Stock Drop, Global Tech Sell-Off. Free Our Feeds Campaign Seeks to Challenge Social Media Control By US Billionaires. U.S. Restricts Switzerland’s Access to Advanced AI Chips.
Welcome to Hashtag Trending. I’m your host, Jim Love. Let’s get into it.
DeepSeek AI Model Spurs NVIDIA Stock Drop, Global Tech Sell-Off
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, is sending shockwaves through the tech industry with its latest open-source model, DeepSeek-V3. First, it’s a big threat to frontier models in AI by OpenAI and others. It’s free two own, comes with everything including the weights, which are the core of a model and its open source so you can fine tune it and adapt it as you want. If you use DeepSeek’s API it’s 98% less cost than OpenAI.
DeepSeek not only claims its model rivals top proprietary systems, it posts the scores at deepseek.com and they are impressive on every benchmark that exists.
The public response has been incredible. DeepSeek’s AI assistant app has already dethroned OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the most downloaded free app on the U.S. App Store. And DeepSeek finally had to start limiting signups, not because they couldn’t process them, but they are under a cyberattack.
But now the smaller, faster, and cost-efficient alternative is challenging NVIDIA’s dominance in AI hardware. The US government has restricted access to top of the line NVIDIA GPU’s so the Chinese built this model so it didn’t need hi powered NVIDIA chips.
The impact was immediate. NVIDIA’s stock dropped 10% in pre-market trading, and other tech stocks followed suit losing close to a trillion dollars in value as of yesterday morning. Analysts warn that if DeepSeek’s open-source model gains traction, it could reduce the need for expensive, high-performance GPUs, reshaping the AI landscape.
For businesses and developers, this signals a shift toward affordability and accessibility in AI. As DeepSeek gains momentum, the industry will need to adapt quickly to this disruptive new player.
Who would have thought that the Chinese would be the ones to democratize AI?
Check this out at deepseek.com
Free Our Feeds Campaign Seeks to Challenge Social Media Control By US Billionaires
And another attack on the US’s big tech bros….
A new campaign called “Free Our Feeds” is taking aim at the billionaire-controlled social media landscape. With the tagline, “We can no longer let billionaires control our digital public square,” the initiative seeks to raise $30 million over three years to support Bluesky’s AT Protocol—a decentralized social media standard.
Backed by prominent figures like Eli Pariser, Mark Surman, and Jimmy Wales, the campaign aims to build independent infrastructure that gives users control over their data and breaks free from engagement-driven algorithms.
However, critics point to challenges like scalability, content moderation, and sustainable funding. While the campaign’s goals are ambitious, skeptics question whether it can compete with entrenched platforms like Meta and X.
U.S. Restricts Switzerland’s Access to Advanced AI Chips
The United States has imposed export restrictions on advanced AI chips destined for Switzerland, limiting the country’s access to critical technology. These restrictions are part of broader U.S. efforts to maintain control over key AI technologies.
The move could impact multinational companies in Switzerland, particularly in finance, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing, which rely heavily on AI-driven innovation. Swiss authorities have expressed concerns, with a government spokesperson calling the restrictions a threat to the country’s role as a global innovation hub.
First, Toblerone production moves out of Switzerland, and now this. It seems the U.S. has a bone to pick with the Swiss—first chocolate, now chips. What’s next – Mark Zuckerberg’s watch?
And that’s our show for today. You can reach me with tips, comments, and even some constructive criticism. I’m your host, Jim Love. Have a Terrific Tuesday.