Cathy Wood, founder and CEO of ARK Invest, recently stated in an interview that the introduction of DeepSeek has intensified competition in the artificial intelligence sector, further reducing the costs of AI technology—a positive development for the tech industry. She believes this trend will help companies cut expenses and spur more innovation.
The rise of DeepSeek is seen as a challenge to the dominant position of the U.S. tech industry. The release of its open-source AI model has caused market fluctuations, with the Nasdaq 100 index, heavily loaded with tech stocks, dropping 3% on Monday, marking the largest single-day decline since December of last year. Nevertheless, Wood does not think now is the time to increase regulation on artificial intelligence. She noted that the current AI development is akin to the early 1990s internet, where strict regulation could stifle innovation, and DeepSeek's impact indicates that the cost of AI technology is rapidly declining.
Wood emphasized that cost reduction is a global benefit. "In any case, AI costs are consistently decreasing, and the emergence of DeepSeek has furthered this progress," she added. Technology giants, including Meta and Amazon, could benefit from reduced AI costs and potentially leverage DeepSeek's technology to optimize their platforms.
Additionally, she believes that if President Trump relaxes regulations on artificial intelligence, it will further foster innovation and unleash greater growth potential for the tech industry. She suggested that regulators should not intervene prematurely but rather allow the market to drive AI development.
Wood also revealed that ARK Invest is now "paying closer attention to China," signaling her increasing focus on the Chinese AI sector and its related companies.
