However, "Google's advantages in search hinge on its ubiquity and entrenched consumer behavior. 2025 could be the year those advantages meaningfully erode as antitrust enforcement and open source AI models change the game," Mitchell-Wolf said. In late January, Chinese startup DeepSeek released its open-source AI model, which appeared to operate similarly well to US ones but which the company said was scaled for about $6 million — significantly less than the amount Big Tech companies have been investing in AI. Tech stocks, including Alphabet's, took a hit in response. DeepSeek's market disruption was a frequent topic of conversation among tech leaders on earnings calls this week, including Pichai, who sought to assure investors that Google's AI offerings are more efficient and better optimized than those of its competitors.