Open Source Marketing Strategy of AI Companies from the Perspective of the Knowledge Gap Hypothesis Research--On the Case of DeepSeek

The open source strategy publicly discloses core code and technology, reducing the threshold for accessing resources and promoting fair development in exploring cutting-edge technology fields such as AI, thus bridging the intelligence divide. It means there is a strong link between it and the knowledge gap hypothesis. The open source strategy of AI companies is both a technology sharing behaviour and a marketing method, and changes in the company's marketing strategy reflect the transformative commercialisation trend in the field of AI. This paper explores DeepSeek's open source strategy from the perspective of the Knowledge Gap Hypothesis, and summarizes the impacts on different subjects and provides an outlook on the possibilities of future development. It is found that open source strategy markedly narrows the gap within those using DeepSeek. Additionally, both advantages and potential challenges exist for the company and even the whole society, and the shifts will in turn affect the company's future development strategies.