DeepSeek: An AI Shift That Could Transform Travel?
Just days after OpenAI launched Operator, a “small” Chinese player, DeepSeek, has stepped in and shaken the tech world to its core. I’ve tried to wrap my head around it: DeepSeek has introduced a free AI that outperforms the paid version of GPT. They’ve made it open source, meaning anyone can use and build on it, and they’ve apparently done it for just 5% of OpenAI’s budget, or less, with far less energy consumption.
This changes everything. It lowers the barrier for new players, regardless of resources, and could trigger a flood of innovation, including in travel. In an industry that’s lagged in adopting AI, this opens doors for smaller businesses to finally catch up. The democratization here is profound. DeepSeek is sharing its methods and code in ways Silicon Valley giants like OpenAI, Google, and Meta haven’t dared or wanted to.
The fallout has been immense. Nvidia, the go-to supplier of advanced AI chips, lost $600 billion in market value, the largest drop in history. And DeepSeek managed to do all this without relying on Nvidia’s expensive chips. AI is accelerating at breakneck speed, with innovations that used to take years now emerging in mere days. Where will this end?
I’ve read about farmers in developing countries using AI to write funding applications for equipment, and getting approved. People without coding skills are creating apps from their phones. This is what the revolution looks like. I, like many others, believe this is the greatest technological upheaval of our lifetime, bigger than the internet.
What does this mean for travel? Hyper-personalized itineraries, seamless trip planning, and AI-powered experiences that cater to every traveler’s unique needs. For suppliers, it could mean reclaiming direct relationships with customers, bypassing traditional intermediaries like online travel agencies.
But this shift isn’t without challenges. I’m skeptical of China. But lately, I’ve been just as skeptical of the U.S. Concerns about data privacy and geopolitical tensions will test the industry’s willingness to embrace new players like DeepSeek. This isn’t an endorsement of DeepSeek, it’s a reminder to pay attention. The app is already the most downloaded in the App Store, and new challengers will follow soon enough.
This is a phenomenal time to be an entrepreneur. Use these opportunities, people. Open source means the tools are there for anyone to grab. Even OpenAI and Meta are already borrowing ideas. The landscape is shifting, and the question isn’t if AI will change the world, but how. Let’s see where it takes us.
Will travel evolve fast enough to meet the demands of a world driven by smarter, cheaper AI?
