🚀 DeepSeek vs. OpenAI: Should Educators Pay Attention to This New AI?

Many of us are familiar with AI giants like OpenAI, but there's a new player making waves: DeepSeek. This Chinese startup has made significant strides in developing large language models, recently releasing a reasoning model that rivals some of OpenAI’s most advanced models at a fraction of the cost to train and develop. Its efficiency has disrupted the industry so drastically that Nvidia lost $600 billion in market value overnight, marking the largest market cap loss in history. Even more groundbreaking, DeepSeek’s models are open-source models available to the public for free! What makes DeepSeek so powerful, and what does this mean for students and educators? In this edition, we’ll break it down and explore how AI models like DeepSeek can transform the field of education.

Here is an overview of today’s newsletter:

• Explanation of the current buzz around Deep Seek and OpenAI’s Operator

• Latest survey results on student usage of AI in schoolwork

• Exclusive interview with Merissa Sadler-Holder, founder of Teaching with Machines

• Research study comparing the effectiveness of AI-generated vs. human-made teaching videos

🚀 Practical AI Usage and Policies

⭐️ AI x Education Webinar - The Digital Divide 2.0: Can AI Level the Playing Field?

Join us virtually on February 6th, as we dive into how AI is reshaping education and explore what it takes to ensure equity, accessibility, and innovation in classrooms. Our latest webinar brings together:

• Glenn Kleiman – Senior Advisor, Stanford Accelerator for Learning

• Chris Mah – PhD Candidate, Stanford Graduate School of Education

• Benjamin Klieger – CS Undergraduate, Stanford University

Our speakers will share actionable use cases, strategies for equitable AI integration, and the paradigm shifts needed for Gen AI-powered classrooms. Topics will include personalized learning, bridging resource gaps, and ensuring that AI benefits everyone.

Attendees will leave with practical tools and a deeper understanding of how AI can create more inclusive and innovative learning environments. Whether you’re an educator, administrator, or student, this session is designed to spark meaningful discussion and provide valuable takeaways.

💻 The Latest Developments in AI

Deep Seek

🔎 What Is DeepSeek?

DeepSeek is a Chinese AI company that has recently developed a groundbreaking AI reasoning model called DeepSeek-R1 that’s not only fast and efficient but also much cheaper to create than anything we’ve seen so far. While companies like OpenAI are spending billions on AI development (see The Stargate Project), DeepSeek built its system with just