Microsoft and OpenAI are probing if data output from the ChatGPT maker's technology was obtained in an unauthorized manner by a group linked to Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.

Microsoft's security researchers observed that individuals they believed to be connected to DeepSeek exfiltrating a large amount of data using the OpenAI's application programming interface (API), the report said. OpenAI's API is the main way that software developers and business customers buy OpenAI's services.

After DeepSeek AI shocked the world and tanked the market, OpenAI says it has evidence that ChatGPT distillation was used to train the model.

OpenAI—which faces multiple lawsuits for using content without permission—accuses DeepSeek of 'distillation,' a technique that use larger models' outputs to improve smaller ones.

Did the upstart Chinese tech company DeepSeek copy ChatGPT to make the artificial intelligence technology that shook Wall Street this week?

Chinese tech startup DeepSeek ’s new artificial intelligence chatbot has sparked discussions about the competition between China and the U.S. in AI development, with many users flocking to test the rival of OpenAI ‘s ChatGPT.

DeepSeek is an open-source AI model and it focuses on technical performance. ChatGPT offers limited customization options but provides a polished, user-friendly experience suitable for