The sudden rise of Chinese AI app DeepSeek has leaders in Washington and Silicon Valley grappling with how to keep the U.S. ahead in the crucial technology.

By Kenrick Cai, Anna Tong, Jeffrey Dastin SAN FRANCISCO -Developers at leading U.S. AI firms are praising the DeepSeek AI models that have leapt into prominence while also trying to poke holes in the notion that their multi-billion dollar technology has been bested by a Chinese newcomer's low-cost alternative.

KEY TAKEAWAYS OpenAI said Wednesday that it is probing whether Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek improperly used its data to launch the low-cost model that spooked markets Monday.The comment by OpenAI follows a Bloomberg report that both OpenAI and its biggest backer Microsoft are investigating DeepSeek's model.

The companies claim they have evidence that the Chinese company trained their AI model by using data it had lifted from OpenAI. OpenAI claimed to the Financial Times that it had evidence DeepSeek trained its AI by using OpenAI's models.

Sam Altman’s OpenAI said Chinese competitor DeepSeek could be committing intellectual property theft. DeepSeek, an emerging Chinese artificial intelligence company, sent shockwaves through the technology world when its AI model surged to the top of the app store in the United States this week.