DeepSeek vs OpenAI: What Muslims Can Learn from This AI Battle

If you’ve been following AI news recently, you’ll have heard about DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup making waves by competing with OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT.

It’s an incredible story: a small, nimble team taking on one of the most powerful AI companies in the world.

But this isn’t just a story about AI. It’s about how smaller, mission-driven teams can compete and win against giants. There’s a lesson here for Muslim investors, entrepreneurs, and communities. Let’s break it down.

1. What happened?

OpenAI commands billions in funding, a world-class team of researchers, and backing from major corporate giants. It has secured exclusive deals with Microsoft and raised over $17 billion, including a record-breaking $6.6 billion funding round—the largest in venture capital history—pushing its valuation to a staggering $157 billion.

Yet, despite these advantages, DeepSeek has managed to build a competitive AI model with a fraction of the budget.

DeepSeek’s rise isn’t just impressive—it’s a wake-up call for anyone who assumes the AI race is locked in by the biggest players. They didn’t try to outspend OpenAI; instead, they focused on efficiency, agility, and strategic execution.

This mirrors the classic underdog advantage: smaller teams can innovate faster, adapt more quickly, and avoid the bureaucratic slowdowns of corporate giants. We’ve seen it before in other industries—Netflix taking on Blockbuster, Tesla shaking up the car industry, and now, DeepSeek making its mark in AI.

We see this in business, investing, and even within our own work at our sister company Cur8 Capital we take inspiration from this story of the underdog. We’re not trying to be the next BlackRock, but we don’t need to be. Instead, we focus on high-quality, halal investments that offer strong returns while aligning with our values. The rest is up to Allah.

It’s a reminder that small, mission-driven teams can punch well above their weight.

2. Where are the Muslims?

The more concerning part of this story? Muslims aren’t even in the conversation.

The AI revolution is happening with or without us—but right now, we’re just passive consumers, not active builders. Contrast this with our historical legacy where Muslims once led in mathematics, science, and engineering. The Islamic Golden Age produced visionary thinkers who shaped the modern world. Today, we’ve fallen behind.

If AI is the new industrial revolution, then sitting on the sidelines is not an option.

AI isn’t just about chatbots or fancy software—it’s shaping economies, security, healthcare, and even ethics. If we’re absent from this space, we’re leaving critical decisions about the future entirely in the hands of others.

Consider this:

• AI is already being used to dictate financial policies, social norms, and security measures.
• Big tech firms control which narratives are amplified and which are silenced.
• AI-driven hiring tools, credit scoring, and policing systems are prone to bias—and we have little say in how these biases are addressed.

If we’re not part of AI development, we’re not just missing an investment opportunity; we’re surrendering influence over the world our children will inherit.

3. Why Have We Fallen Behind?

The Muslim world has the resources to be a serious player in AI. Gulf nations control trillions in capital. Muslim professionals hold leadership positions in global firms. We are one of the youngest, fastest-growing populations on Earth.

So, what’s stopping Muslims from competing in AI? A few key challenges stand out:

1. Lack of investment – We pour money into real estate, but how much into cutting-edge industries?
2. A limited career mindset – We push for medicine, law, and engineering but often overlook AI, data science, and machine learning.
3. No coordinated effort – There’s no Muslim equivalent of DeepSeek because we lack the structures to fund and nurture this kind of innovation.

It’s not just about money—it’s about strategy, vision, and long-term thinking.

4. How Muslims Can Catch Up

If we want to be players, not spectators, here’s some of what needs to happen:

1. Encourage AI Education – Parents, schools, and Islamic institutions should push for AI literacy from a young age.
2. Encourage AI Careers – Data science, machine learning, and AI research need to be seen as valuable, future-proof career paths. 
3. Incorporate AI into Existing Careers – AI isn’t just for programmers. Doctors, lawyers, finance professionals, and even imams will need to understand how AI impacts their fields.
4. Invest in AI & Tech – We need more Muslim capital flowing into startups and innovation, just like we back halal stocks and property.  One way to do that is through Cur8’s EIS fund which you can learn more about here.

The future will be shaped by those who invest in and build the technology of tomorrow.

Final words

DeepSeek has proven that big money doesn’t always win—smaller, well-focused teams can disrupt even the biggest players.

Muslims have a choice: step up and become innovators, or remain spectators while others shape the future.

If we don’t get involved in AI, we’ll be left using someone else’s technology, dictated by someone else’s values.

The question is: Are we ready to take action?