Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has taken the tech world by storm with its cost-effective, high-performance chatbot, which was developed for under $6 million—far less than the billions spent by US tech giants like OpenAI. This breakthrough has garnered praise from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who had previously dismissed small-budget AI projects as "hopeless." DeepSeek’s rapid rise is reshaping the competitive landscape of AI, particularly in the context of China’s growing influence in AI development.