The race that will change everything
We’ve never seen such intense competition between tech companies, governments, and open source communities as we’re experiencing today in the world of artificial intelligence. From foundational models to personalized assistants and chips designed exclusively for AI, the landscape is changing every day.
And well, I’ve been somewhat expectant since all this appeared. First it was GPT, then DeepSeek, and many others. At first I didn’t give it much importance… until I realized that this really is going to change the world. And I’m not kidding: it talks to you, understands you in natural language… I couldn’t believe it! It’s already here, and it’s here to stay.
🏆 The Giants at the Top
OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, and Meta dominate the conversation. Each one competes to train the most powerful, cheapest, and safest model.
OpenAI leads in commercial integration (ChatGPT, APIs, partnerships with Microsoft)
Google continues betting on Gemini and its Android/Workspace ecosystem
Meta accelerates open source development with LLaMA
Anthropic proposes more ethically aligned AI (Claude)
Personally, I started using ChatGPT in its free version. Then I switched to GPT Plus because I wanted to test the memory and see how far it could go. But then I stopped paying, because I still found it a bit expensive. So I started using DeepSeek, which surprised me quite a bit. But over time I preferred to go back to GPT-4, because I like its style better, its responses… I find it more friendly, more “human.”
🔓 The Resurgence of Open Source
While the giants play with closed models, the open source community hasn’t been left behind. Projects like Mistral, LLaMA 3, DeepSeek, or Ollama are opening access to powerful models that you can run from your own computer.
And that blew my mind. Today you can have a reasonably good AI running locally, without depending on anyone, and that changes everything.
🌍 A New Technological Cold War?
The competition also has a geopolitical side. The United States, China, and Europe are fighting to control chips, datasets, security standards, and the rules of the game.
USA restricts chip exports to China
Europe tries to advance with ethical and more “human” regulation
China accelerates its local development with Baidu, Alibaba, and its own trained models
🎯 Who will win? Does it really matter?
Beyond who has the biggest model or the fastest GPU, the real competition is for people’s trust, and for the real impact that AI will have on our lives.
Because at the end of the day, technology can be impressive… but what matters is how it helps us, how we use it, and how it makes us feel part of the future.
💭 My personal experience with AI
I’ve tried almost everything that’s come out. From the early days of ChatGPT to the latest versions of Claude and Gemini. Each one has its personality, its style, its strengths.
ChatGPT is like that friend who always has an answer for everything, although sometimes he makes things up.
Claude is more reflective, more careful, like a wise professor.
Gemini is versatile, but sometimes feels colder, more robotic.
DeepSeek surprised me with its technical capability, but I didn’t connect as much with its style.
And then there are the local models. Ollama with Mistral, LLaMA 3… being able to have an AI running on your computer without depending on the internet or anyone else is liberating. It’s like having your own personal assistant, without corporate filters.
🤔 Reflections on the future
This competition isn’t just technical. It’s philosophical, ethical, social. Each company, each government, each community has a different vision of what the AI of the future should be like.
Do we want centralized or distributed AI?
Do you prefer closed and controlled models or open source and transparent ones?
Are you willing to sacrifice privacy for convenience?
Do you trust big companies or the community more?
These questions don’t have easy answers. And every decision we make today will shape tomorrow’s world.
🌟 The human side of technology
In the end, what matters most to me isn’t who has the biggest model or the fastest GPU. What matters to me is how this technology makes us feel, how it helps us be better versions of ourselves.
AI can be an incredible tool for creativity, productivity, learning. But it can also be a source of anxiety, dependence, isolation.
The difference lies in how we use it, how we integrate it into our lives, how we maintain our humanity while embracing the future.
🚀 What now?
This race is just beginning. The next few years will be crucial for defining the future of AI and, by extension, the future of humanity.
What can you do?
- Inform yourself: Try different models, compare, form your own opinion
- Participate: Join open source communities, contribute to the debate
- Reflect: Think about what kind of future you want for yourself and others
- Act: Use AI consciously, ethically, humanly
Final reflection
The global competition for AI isn’t just a battle between companies or countries. It’s a conversation about the future of humanity, about what it means to be human in an increasingly intelligent world.
And in that conversation, we all have a voice. We all have power to influence the outcome.
The question isn’t whether AI will change the world. The question is: what kind of change do we want it to be?
What do you think?
- Which AI model do you prefer and why?
- Are you concerned about the centralization of technological power?
- Do you think open source can balance the scales?
- How do you imagine the future of AI?
✍️ Claudio from ViaMind “Dare to imagine, create and transform.”
Recommended links on similar and fascinating topics:
Here are some articles and resources if you want to know more about the global AI competition:
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China’s Moonshot AI releases open-source model (Reuters)
News about China’s Moonshot AI launching an open-source model to reclaim its position in the global AI market. -
Luther Lowe (Y Combinator) on “Little Tech” (Financial Times)
Analysis and opinion on how smaller tech companies are challenging the dominance of Big Tech in the AI race. -
DeepSeek and Big Tech power concerns (Brookings)
Article discussing DeepSeek, competition in AI, and the implications of Big Tech’s power in the sector.
If you have other recommendations or want to discuss these topics, write to me! I love connecting with curious minds.
