Some Things to Remember About “Ayyyyy”-I

Remember DeepSeek, the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company that was going to destroy NVIDIA, OpenAI and a few other firms? Well, it turns out that all the hype may not have been warranted. At the beginning of the year, DeepSeek was everywhere, but now coverage has mostly died off. This is a reminder that, when it comes to evaluating new AI products, maybe we should be more like Fonzie from the old TV show Happy Days.

• Be Cool: The No. 1 lesson should be to stay cool the next time a supposedly world-shattering breakthrough in AI is announced. And there will be a next time – we are still in the very early stages of AI as a mainstream product. More announcements of breakthroughs similar to DeepSeek’s claims should be expected. If AI is really going to become an everyday thing, it needs to get much better and much cheaper. So, when announcements along these lines appear in the news, remember to follow Fonzie’s example and be cool.
• Be Suspicious: Fonzie was a streetwise guy, and with that came a healthy skepticism of things that seemed too good to be true. Similarly, when we see AI companies making extreme claims, it is time to once again be like Arthur Fonzarelli. Evaluate the claims relative to the overall state of the market, and spend some time really digging into details and requirements before making plans to tear up your current system. What we typically see in production is incremental improvement, not “game-changing” disruption.
• Be a Rebel: The rebel mindset was core to Fonzie’s character, and we can take something away from that when it comes to AI. Rebels are often viewed as bucking the norm or even setting trends, in some ways. There is no doubt that AI technologies are here to stay, and there is a way to apply security AI to most organizations. However, this can mean causing disruption, particularly if the AI deployment is going to compete with a function that was previously done by a person. But don’t be afraid to be an AI rebel and push forward with deployments that make sense. It may cause some turmoil in the short term, but the long-term benefits will be worthwhile. Without this rebel attitude, your organization might end up jumping the shark.

DeepSeek’s announcement and the hype surrounding it was just the beginning of what we are likely to see as AI becomes more and more prevalent. The hype can be good. It raises awareness, creates more competition and hopefully continues to move the technology closer to wider and more affordable adoption. But when the next DeepSeek moment happens, don’t be one of the screaming kids feeding the noise. Be cool – like Fonzie.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association.

This article originally appeared in All Things AI, a newsletter presented by the SIA AI Advisory Board.