As the field of AI continues to rapidly advance, the emergence of large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, and DeepSeek has sparked both excitement and debate. This session will take a balanced look at the technological developments, economic implications, and societal impacts of these powerful AI systems. We will explore the engineering innovations that have enabled models like DeepSeek to achieve impressive capabilities at lower cost. However, the discussion will go beyond simplistic comparisons or claims of "copying." Instead, we will examine how different approaches to model training, deployment, and access are shaping the competitive landscape and the democratization of AI.

Importantly, this session will also address the ethical, privacy, and social impact considerations that must be grappled with as these technologies become more pervasive. We will consider how the AI community can foster greater collaboration and responsible development to ensure these powerful tools benefit society as a whole.