OpenAI, the U.S.-based AI giant, has made an unexpected announcement claiming that the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek used its proprietary models to train a competing open-source model, thereby violating the company’s terms of service. It is reported that Microsoft is also involved in the investigation, and this incident is expected to create a significant stir in the AI industry, potentially sparking a new technological war.
OpenAI’s Allegation of Plagiarism
According to the claims, DeepSeek applied the ‘distillation’ technique, a method used to train smaller AI models by utilizing the outputs of OpenAI’s models. While this technique is a common practice in AI development, OpenAI has argued that DeepSeek used it to create a competing model.

A source close to OpenAI shared the following statement with the Financial Times: “The issue is taking data from the platform and using it for your own model. This is a clear violation of the terms of service.”
Additionally, it has been reported that Microsoft is investigating how DeepSeek used OpenAI’s API. According to sources speaking to Bloomberg, Microsoft’s security researchers discovered a large amount of data had been leaked through OpenAI developer accounts by the end of 2024. These accounts are believed to be linked to DeepSeek.
DeepSeek’s AI model, R1 Reasoning, has gained attention as a low-cost, high-performance alternative in the market. The company claims to have spent only $5.6 million on its development, while it is known that OpenAI invested over $100 million in GPT-4.
While DeepSeek has not yet made an official statement, it has been revealed that OpenAI and Microsoft shut down several developer accounts believed to be associated with DeepSeek in August 2024. The key question now is whether OpenAI will take its claims to court.
These developments are seen as a critical turning point in how competition will shape the AI industry. DeepSeek’s response to the allegations and how the U.S. government will approach the issue remain major points of interest.
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