DeepSeek who? What in the world is going on
Taking a deeper dive looking at the timeline of key events for DeepSeek AI from its release has been intriguing. Here is what we have found:
2023
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July 17: DeepSeek AI was founded by Liang Wenfeng in Hangzhou, China
2024
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December 27: Release of DeepSeek V3, a large language model that outperformed several popular models in benchmarks
2025
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January 10: Launch of DeepSeek’s first free chatbot app for iOS and Android, based on the DeepSeek-R1 model
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January 21: DeepSeek R1 model released, achieving state-of-the-art performance in math, code, and reasoning tasks
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January 27: DeepSeek’s chatbot app became the most downloaded free app on the iOS App Store in the US
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January 27: Reports emerged that DeepSeek’s chatbot was blocking questions about politically sensitive topics related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
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January 30: A massive data leak exposed sensitive information of over one million users, raising significant security concerns
Global Reaction to DeepSeek vs. ChatGPTThe global reaction to DeepSeek AI has been marked by a mix of admiration and concern. DeepSeek’s ability to achieve high performance with lower costs and less advanced hardware has been seen as a significant technological breakthrough. However, this has also raised concerns about data privacy, security risks, and China’s growing influence in the AI sector. Some countries, like Italy, have imposed bans on DeepSeek due to data protection issues, while others are scrutinizing its operations closely.
In contrast, the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI in November 2022 was met with widespread excitement and curiosity. ChatGPT quickly became popular for its conversational abilities and was integrated into various applications, including education and business tools. However, it also faced criticism for potential misuse, such as cheating in educational settings and spreading misinformation. The global reaction to ChatGPT was generally more positive, with a focus on its potential benefits and ethical considerations.
While both DeepSeek and ChatGPT have made significant impacts, the key difference lies in the geopolitical context. DeepSeek’s rise has intensified discussions about US-China competition in AI, whereas ChatGPT’s release was more focused on the technological and ethical implications within a relatively stable geopolitical framework.
I believe this is a space to watch, even with the controversy of DeepSeek it certainly has push the boundaries of generative AI. This is forcing others like OpenAI to improve their offerings with better performance and cheaper end user products.
