DeepSeek is shaking up the AI race as the Chinese contender proves to be a more powerful, flexible, and affordable option than its US counterparts.
Nowadays, it’s causing a decline in the US stock markets, such as a 5.6% decrease in the S&P 500 tech sector.
More importantly, you and millions might be wondering whether you should ditch ChatGPT with DeepSeek.
Consider its features and data privacy terms and conditions before diving into DeepSeek.
DeepSeek vs. ChatGPT, other bots
Deepseek R1 is one of the most amazing and impressive breakthroughs I’ve ever seen — and as open source, a profound gift to the world. 🤖🫡
— Marc Andreessen 🇺🇸 (@pmarca) January 24, 2025
Business Inquirer says a startup in Hangzhou, China, developed the East’s AI challenger.
The article says you can use DeepSeek on a desktop or a mobile app.
Also, it can write song lyrics, help with personal development goals, and perform other tasks the Western AI can do.
“What we’ve found is that DeepSeek… is the top performing, or roughly on par with the best American models,” Alexandr Wang, CEO of Scale AI, told CNBC.
More importantly, it’s open-source, meaning everyone can download and use it for free without the Internet.
DeepSeek-R1 is the latest version, and you may start using it by opening the home page.
Then, click the Start Now button and provide the required information.
Afterward, click or tap the “Deep Think” mode to experience the latest version’s astounding step-by-step reasoning capabilities.
DeepSeek’s crowning feature is its ability to show how it derived a specific answer.
In other words, this reasoning AI model can explain its reasons for providing a particular conclusion.
DeepSeek researchers said they only spent $5.6 million on developing their AI chatbot.
In contrast, it’s a drop in a bucket compared to the billions that Western firms have spent on their AI projects.
In light of this remarkable technological leap and efficient resource allocation, Scale AI’s Wong wrote on X:
“DeepSeek is a wake-up call for America.”
Finding data privacy in DeepSeek
americans sure love giving their data away to the CCP in exchange for free stuff
— Steven Heidel (@stevenheidel) January 27, 2025
The Chinese AI program prompted many outlets to delve into DeepSeek’s data privacy issues.
Its official Privacy Policy states:
“The personal information we collect from you may be stored on a server located outside of the country where you live.”
“We store the information we collect in secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China.”
However, tech insider VentureBeat points out that these data security issues only apply to DeepSeek’s proprietary services.
These include its apps, websites, and software, which uses its cloud-based R1 model.
If you signed up for DeepSeek Chat or used its mobile AI assistant, the AI may have sent and stored your data in China.
Fortunately, you can avoid these cybersecurity risks by hosting it locally.
Use open-source implementation tools to run DeepSeek without an internet connection, keeping your data on your computer.
Consider the data security risks of DeepSeek and other AI tools before using them.
Alternatively, use other tools like Perplexity and Claude.