China’s DeepSeek artificial intelligence (AI) was officially launched on 20 January, wiping billions from the value of US stocks, particularly tech companies such as Nvidia.
No longer is the US the dominant player in the booming AI business.
However, the signs of China’s emergence as an AI enterpriser were apparent long before DeepSeek’s official launch - spotted by Canberra-based technology company EarlyBirds nearly seven months earlier.
EarlyBirds says it has pioneered what it calls an innovation ecosystem, developing a strategic picture of industry capabilities and trends using information in the public domain.
That includes sectors such as AI, autonomous systems, cyber security, space and nuclear submarine-related industry capabilities across Australia, in AUKUS nations, the Quad or globally.
Company Chief Executive Officer and founder Kris Poria told ADM at the Avalon Air Show that EarlyBirds was becoming very good at dealing with what it terms “wicked problems – complex challenges presented by client companies and government agencies – and at monitoring specific domains.”
“It could be a capability domain or it could be an emerging technology domain,” he said.
One particular client was struggling to understand the rapidly evolving AI landscape. That involved developing an appreciation of AI threats and opportunities and it was during this process that EarlyBirds identified DeepSeek
“We first identified them in November 2023 through the EarlyBirds platform,” Poria said.
“On June 17, 2024, we conducted a proactive assessment of DeepSeek AI as part of our AI Domain Monitor, determining that this company and technology would make a significant impact in the coming months. We gave our users nearly seven months’ warning before this materialised in January 2025.”
Poria said EarlyBirds has continued to receive strong validation as a leader in this highly specialised field.
“Our customers consistently tell us that we provide the most comprehensive insights in open innovation. We can go deeper and detect technology developments that others miss. We’re also gaining traction beyond Australia.”
This is reflected in EarlyBirds’ growing international revenue and expanding workforce, with a presence in Washington and, most recently, London.
“The new U.S. administration is interesting—it’s helping in a way because they need to be more efficient and innovative, which aligns perfectly with what we do,” Poria said.
“We have a strong business case for fortune 500 and top government customers to work with us on enabling their strategy and solving wicked problems. For large customers we have recently launched goearlybirds.com portal to know more”