OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has raised concerns against DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, claiming it used OpenAI’s models to train its own AI system, possibly violating OpenAI’s terms of service.
The dispute centers on DeepSeek’s AI platform, which launched in 2023.
DeepSeek’s system, which includes the DeepSeek-R1 and R1-Zero models, has grown in popularity, surpassing ChatGPT as the most downloaded app on Apple’s US store in January 2025.
The allegation involves “distillation,” a process where outputs from larger models are used to improve smaller ones.
OpenAI suspects DeepSeek employed this technique to create a competitor model, which may breach their agreement.
OpenAI’s terms explicitly forbid users from copying its services or using its outputs to develop rival models.
Following the claims, Microsoft and OpenAI are investigating accounts associated with DeepSeek, which had reportedly used OpenAI’s API.
