Latest news with #KashyapKompella
Hindustan Times
27-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Stoicism 101: What is it and how deeply does it resonate in India?
Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy that promises modern minds a rare luxury: composure. It prizes clarity over chaos, resilience over reactivity, and self-mastery over self-display. At its heart, Stoicism is a quiet, disciplined antidote to frenzy. It is ambition without the noise, strength without the spectacle. It serves as a steady compass, reminding us that while we can't control the market, the weather, the wifi, or anyone else's opinion, we can govern our own responses to each of these. Stoicism is not about retreating from the world, but moving through it deliberately and calmly, without losing ourselves in the noise. Generated by Kashyap Kompella via ChatGPT. India has been fertile ground for Stoicism. Stoicism and the Bhagavad Gita, long before it, both advocate a deep commitment to disciplined action without attachment to outcome. Both insist that one's duty (dharma in the Gita, virtue in Stoicism) be performed with focus and integrity, regardless of success or failure. Both traditions emphasise inner equanimity, self-mastery, and seeing the transient world without being emotionally destabilised by it. Both Buddhism and Stoic traditions view suffering as the result of ungoverned desire and mistaken views. Both emphasise mindfulness, detachment and the transformation of one's responses. (Kashyap Kompella, an Indian Stoic, is an industry analyst, author of two books on AI, and organiser of the Bengaluru and Hyderabad BizLitFests)
USA Today
29-01-2025
- Business
- USA Today
China's DeepSeek may erase America's lead in AI. And wreck your 401(k).
Kashyap Kompella and James Cooper Opinion contributors A Chinese company's latest artificial intelligence technology has sent shock waves through the AI-industrial complex in the United States this week. In recent years, U.S. companies OpenAI, Google, Meta and Anthropic have dominated leaderboards for cutting-edge AI. Microsoft, Amazon and Nvidia have led in cloud and specialized AI hardware. To play in this league, a war chest of billions of dollars has been required. Now, DeepSeek, the AI division of a Chinese hedge fund and a (relatively) much smaller company, has released large language and reasoning AI models whose performance is comparable to the best-in-class AI models in the United States. DeepSeek's AI breakthrough appears plausible According to the company, they did not use high-end GPUs (artificial intelligence chips), and the computing bill was estimated to be only $5.6 million, a fraction of of the hundreds of millions reportedly spent by OpenAI and other U.S.-based leaders. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Expert and industry reactions to these claims ranged from skepticism to shock and awe. Based on the details in the technical reports from DeepSeek, this breakthrough, prima facie, seems plausible. Making available such an advanced AI model with a permissive open source license (almost giving it away for free) throws a wrench into the pricing strategies of commercial AI vendors, which have to recoup their massive upfront investments. It could also mess up many Americans' 401(k) plans. For the Chinese government, DeepSeek is an inspiring David to Big Tech's Goliath: local teams educated at top Chinese universities innovating against odds, delivering step-change cost reduction, open sourcing the latest AI models and publishing their methods for others to leverage. Don't be surprised if such open source AI is branded as a digital version of the Belt and Road Initiative and a tool of Chinese soft power: AI solutions for the world, including developing nations, at a fraction of the cost. Opinion Forum:Tablets, screen time aren't 'parenting hacks.' They're killing kids' attention spans. US companies still lead in AI development To be clear, this development does not dethrone the United States as the global leader in artificial intelligence, but it narrows the gap between America and China. It requires the U.S. government to urgently reassess AI policies. It also poses serious questions to U.S. AI companies about their competitive moats and the economics of commercial AI and requires them to refocus strategies and investments. These questions are important not only for policy wonks, tech moguls and venture capitalists ‒ but also are relevant for everyday Americans whose 401(k) accounts might take a big hit if American AI leadership is not maintained. Consider that 62% of adult Americans (including 80% of Americans 55 and older) invest in stocks. The S&P 500 returned 23% last year. Without the 'Magnificent Seven' technology companies (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla – all significant AI players), it would have been a lot less. It is not surprising that around the world, the initial stock market reaction to DeepSeek has been brutal. Opinion:AI could save your life. But your doctor is likely using it the wrong way. In response to this disruption, there are a few initiatives on which the U.S. government and industry leaders can focus. The federal government, private equity, venture capital and other investors are pouring billions of dollars into AI. Last week, the Trump administration brought OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank together for an event to announce an initial $100 billion investment in AI computing centers, codenamed Stargate. The scale of these investments might need a recalibration. Notwithstanding these big initiatives, much policymaking has been left to the courts. High stakes lawsuits are snaking their way through the judiciary. Before these cases are decided, the federal government should provide clarity on regulation. The United States also needs to resist stamping out open source AI. If the U.S. government does that, it risks ceding space to China and others. Let's not forget that open source lets U.S. AI companies take advantage of DeepSeek's new advances in this round. Next, there is the issue of whether U.S. export controls are serving their purpose. Indeed, Nvidia sells H800 chips, which are the slower versions of the H100 chips that Washington has restricted the company from selling to China. The U.S. government must assess whether another round of export controls on the best semiconductor chips would be effective. Better enforcement against smuggling of GPUs may be in order. Ironically, AI will be helpful here. Generative artificial intelligence, while important, is only one tool in the AI solutions portfolio. Generative AI is crowding out other AI investments, like biomechanics and robotics. By leveraging U.S. research institutions and academic centers, these areas can be prioritized and grown. A talent strategy, even one encompassing immigration issues, needs to be seriously considered as well. David Sacks, the new AI czar, and the Trump administration should consider devising an interim plan while fleshing out a longer-term vision that was mandated last week in an executive order. The U.S. leadership position on artificial intelligence needs to be protected, not just because this technology is transformative for the future and geopolitically critical. Also at stake are the AI industry's strength in the United States and the financial health of millions of Americans. Kashyap Kompella is founder of RPA2AI Research, an AI analyst firm. James Cooper is a professor of law at California Western School of Law in San Diego. Their recent book is "A Short and Happy Guide to Artificial Intelligence for Lawyers," and their next book with West Academic Publishing is about AI governance and regulation.
