DeepSeek as a 'Power Object': the wave of takes reveals more about us than it

dbreunig · x · 2026-09-04

Drawing on Donna Haraway's 'power object' concept, dbreunig argues DeepSeek is a textbook case: something important we don't yet understand, onto which everyone projects their own hopes and fears. AI boosters see unstoppable progress, skeptics see no moat, open-source advocates see vindication, doomers see recklessness, security and privacy researchers see backdoor and data risks, China hawks and doves see sanctions validated or futile, and NVIDIA bears and bulls see either fewer data centers or more GPU demand. His advice: recognize power objects and learn from the takes whenever such a wave hits.

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