AI Reference 067 Modern Model Families Current · Aug 2026 Primary sources linked

The DeepSeek Model Family

Definition

DeepSeek is a Chinese AI model family known internationally for open-weight language and reasoning systems such as DeepSeek-V3 and R1.

What is DeepSeek?

DeepSeek is a Chinese AI company and model family that became internationally prominent through models such as DeepSeek-V3 and the reasoning-focused DeepSeek-R1. Several DeepSeek model releases have been distributed with downloadable weights.

Why DeepSeek attracted attention

DeepSeek-V3 used a sparse mixture-of-experts architecture, and DeepSeek-R1 drew attention to open-weight reasoning models. The company's 2025 releases became part of a broader shift in which Chinese and open-weight models narrowed capability gaps with proprietary U.S. systems.

How access differs from closed models

Some DeepSeek weights can be downloaded and run by third parties, while DeepSeek also offers its own API and chatbot. Hosting the weights gives operators more control, but it also transfers infrastructure, security and safety responsibilities to them.

Related terms, defined

Modern Model Families DeepSeek V4 DeepSeek's April 2026 API changelog lists V4-Pro and V4-Flash. It also states that the older deepseek-chat and deepseek-reasoner names would be discontinued after temporarily mapping to modes of V4-Flash. Modern Model Families The Llama Model Family Llama is Meta's open-weight language-model family, beginning with a 2023 research release and expanding into developer-focused multimodal models. Modern Model Families Llama 4 Scout and Maverick Meta released Llama 4 Scout and Maverick in April 2025 as natively multimodal mixture-of-experts models. Meta describes Scout as having 17 billion active parameters and 16 experts, and Maverick as having 17 billion active parameters and 128 experts. Modern Model Families The Grok Model Family Grok is the model family developed by xAI/SpaceXAI, spanning general reasoning, coding, voice and generative-media systems. Modern Model Families Grok 4.5 SpaceXAI introduced Grok 4.5 in July 2026 for coding, agentic tasks and knowledge work, then expanded its availability through the company's own products and integrations including GitHub Copilot.

Reference guide and primary sources

Wikipedia is used here as a terminology and history reference guide. Current model versions, institutional statistics and product-specific claims are also linked to first-party or institutional sources because those details can change faster than encyclopedia articles.

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