The recent news about DeepSeek—China’s latest AI development—has stunned markets, tech experts, and political analysts alike. The company claims to have built an AI model comparable to America’s best for just $5.6 million—a number that, frankly, sounds too good to be true. Meanwhile, American companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have spent billions training their models, betting that scale and investment will lead to AI dominance.

As an independent Christian conservative, I view this story through three lenses:

1. Is DeepSeek’s claim legitimate, or is it another CCP mirage?
2. What does this mean for American technological innovation and economic competition?
3. How should Christians and conservatives think about AI in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)?

Let’s take a deep dive into the real issues behind this story—issues of truth vs. deception, competition vs. monopolization, and freedom vs. control.

1. DeepSeek’s AI: Real Breakthrough or Just Another CCP Deception?

China has a long history of making bold, dubious claims that later turn out to be exaggerated or outright lies. Let’s remember some highlights:

• COVID-19 Cover-up – The Chinese government told the world there was “no human-to-human transmission” of COVID-19 in early 2020. That was an outright lie that cost millions of lives.
• Ghost Cities and Economic Fraud – China has spent decades inflating its GDP, propping up empty skyscrapers, and manipulating data to make itself appear wealthier and more advanced than it really is.
• Military Expansion Lies – China claims it wants “peace” in the South China Sea while building military bases on artificial islands, preparing for potential conflict over Taiwan.

So, when DeepSeek claims it built a world-class AI for less than the cost of a Silicon Valley startup’s lunch budget, should we believe them?

There are only two possibilities:

1. They’re lying about the cost.
   • The CCP has a history of secretly subsidizing companies to crush foreign competition. China did this with steel, solar panels, and electric vehicles, undercutting U.S. industries by dumping artificially cheap products into global markets.
   • It’s entirely possible that DeepSeek received massive undisclosed funding from the Chinese government to make AI appear cheaper than it actually is.
2. They’re cheating—using smuggled or stolen technology.
   • The U.S. has strict export controls on advanced AI chips like Nvidia’s H-100, preventing them from being sold to China.
   • But black markets exist, and as Jim Geraghty from National Review pointed out, AI chip smuggling is rampant. China has likely obtained tens of thousands of restricted chips through third-party countries like Singapore.
   • DeepSeek’s AI may not be a true breakthrough—it might simply be running on stolen or illegally obtained technology.

Either way, the DeepSeek story isn’t a celebration of Chinese innovation—it’s a warning about CCP deception.

2. What This Means for American Innovation and Competition

One of the biggest critiques coming out of this debate isn’t actually about China—it’s about American tech companies.

Some political commentators, like David Dayen from American Prospect, argue that Silicon Valley’s tech giants aren’t focused on real innovation anymore. Instead of making better products, they are using regulation, market control, and monopolistic tactics to maintain dominance.

And honestly? He’s not wrong.

Silicon Valley wasn’t built on monopolies—it was built on competition.

• Microsoft started in a garage.
• Apple was two guys with a vision.
• Google’s search algorithm outperformed Yahoo’s and AltaVista’s—so they won.

But today, instead of welcoming competition, Big Tech wants total control. They restrict access to AI models, lobby for regulations that only they can comply with, and create walled gardens that prevent new players from rising up.

For example, OpenAI and Google keep their AI completely closed-source, refusing to share research or give smaller companies access to the tools they need to compete. Meanwhile, DeepSeek has supposedly released its code for free, making it open-source for anyone in the world to use.

Now, let’s be clear—I don’t trust China’s “open-source” claims one bit. The CCP never gives anything away for free unless there’s an ulterior motive. But the fact that American companies are acting more like monopolists than innovators is a problem.

Instead of protecting Big Tech, America should be championing real competition.

• We need an AI ecosystem where small startups can challenge big companies, just like in the early days of Silicon Valley.
• We shouldn’t be investing $500 billion in government-backed AI infrastructure that benefits only a few giant corporations.
• We need to unleash free-market innovation while ensuring national security protections against CCP infiltration.

3. The Real Threat: AI in the Hands of the CCP

Let’s say, hypothetically, that DeepSeek’s AI is actually as good as they claim. Even if that were true, the bigger danger isn’t about competition—it’s about control.

The Chinese Communist Party controls everything in China, including its tech companies. Any AI system developed in China will be subject to CCP censorship, surveillance, and propaganda.

What happens if China dominates AI?

1. Global Censorship and Propaganda
   • Right now, Big Tech manipulates information through biased algorithms.
   • But a CCP-controlled AI would take this to the next level, spreading pro-Communist, anti-Christian, anti-American narratives worldwide.
2. Total Surveillance and Social Control
   • China already has a social credit system, where people lose freedoms if they say the wrong thing.
   • If DeepSeek AI becomes a global platform, it could be used to monitor and control speech and behavior on a massive scale.
3. Influence Over Western Institutions
   • China already controls Hollywood, universities, and social media platforms like TikTok.
   • If it controls AI, it will gain even more power over what the world sees, hears, and believes.

Imagine an AI that subtly rewrites history, censors Biblical values, and promotes Communist ideology. That’s the real danger of letting China dominate AI.

The Christian Conservative Response

So, what should we do?

1. Encourage free-market AI competition in America
   • Stop government favoritism toward Big Tech.
   • Make AI development more accessible to smaller innovators.
2. Strengthen AI trade protections against China
   • Crack down on AI chip smuggling.
   • Prevent CCP-backed companies from infiltrating U.S. tech firms.
3. Defend truth, freedom, and Christian values in AI
   • AI shouldn’t be controlled by radical leftists or totalitarian communists.
   • We need AI systems that respect free speech, protect Christian values, and promote truth.

Final Thoughts

DeepSeek isn’t just about AI—it’s about the future of technology, power, and freedom.

If America doesn’t wake up, we could soon live in a world where the CCP controls global information through AI—just like they control their own people today.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. If we stand for truth, champion real innovation, and push back against Communist influence, we can ensure that the future of AI serves God, liberty, and the free world.