The recent surge in artificial intelligence innovation from Chinese firm DeepSeek has raised concerns about the vulnerability of America’s tech giants to foreign competition. Marc Andreessen, a prominent Silicon Valley investor, described it as “A.I.’s Sputnik moment,” urging the US government to provide massive capital injections to private industry to maintain technological dominance.
As an antitrust enforcer, I see DeepSeek as a warning sign that insufficient competition can lead to vulnerability to Chinese rivals. The company’s A.I. model is a game-changer that undermines America’s dominant tech firms’ argument that they are the only ones developing cutting-edge technology. Despite being awash in cash and resources, these companies have failed to innovate through traditional means.
Instead of relying on government protection from competition, it is time for America’s tech giants to face the music. Historically, breakthrough innovations have come from disruptive outsiders, not entrenched behemoths. The recent history of artificial intelligence demonstrates this pattern, with independent firms realizing the transformative potential of technology when left free to innovate without restrictions.
As chair of the Federal Trade Commission in the Biden administration, I argued that developers should release enough information about their models to allow smaller players and upstarts to bring their ideas to market without being beholden to dominant firms’ pricing or access restrictions. Competition and openness, not centralization, drive innovation.
US tech giants may soon renew their calls for government protection, but policymakers should be wary of reversing course. Antitrust enforcers have already brought major monopolization lawsuits against these companies, making the case that they have undermined innovation and deprived America of the benefits that free and fair competition delivers. The best way for the United States to stay ahead globally is by promoting competition at home, not shielding dominant firms from market forces.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/opinion/deepseek-ai-big-tech.html