The AI industry is advancing at lightning speed, with companies racing to develop cutting-edge models and secure funding. But with innovation comes disruption—most recently highlighted by the sharp drop in NVIDIA's stock following the rise of DeepSeek. The Chinese startup's ChatGPT-like AI model called R1, operates at a fraction of the cost of OpenAI’s, Google’s or Meta’s popular AI models.

What will this mean for the broader AI space and the future of AI investment, and how should leaders adapt to these changing dynamics?

Dominique Rose Van-Wither, CEO of Final Upgrade AI, an AI-powered consultancy focused on training, advisory and AI solutions for businesses, shares her perspectives and insights including what’s next for both investors and companies navigating this rapidly evolving sector.