29 January,2025 08:23 AM IST | Hong Kong | Agencies
The new DeepSeek chatbot’s ultimate impact on the AI industry is still unclear. Representation pic
Chinese tech startup DeepSeek's new artificial intelligence chatbot has sparked discussions about the competition between China and the US in AI development, with many users flocking to test the rival of OpenAI's ChatGPT.
DeepSeek's AI assistant became the No. 1 downloaded free app on Apple's iPhone store on Tuesday afternoon and its launch made Wall Street tech superstars' stocks tumble. Observers are eager to see whether the Chinese company has matched America's leading AI companies at a fraction of the cost. The chatbot's ultimate impact on the AI industry is still unclear, but it appears to censor answers on sensitive Chinese topics.
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For many Chinese, the Winnie the Pooh character is a playful taunt of President Xi Jinping. Chinese censors in the past briefly banned social media searches for the bear in mainland China. ChatGPT got that idea right. It said Winnie the Pooh had become a symbol of political satire and resistance, often used to mock or criticise Xi after internet users started comparing Xi to the bear over similarities in their physical appearances.
DeepSeek's chatbot said the bear is a beloved cartoon character that is adored by countless children and families in China, symbolising joy and friendship. Then, abruptly, it said the Chinese government is "dedicated to providing a wholesome cyberspace for its citizens".
It might be easy for many people to answer, but both AI chatbots mistakenly said Joe Biden, whose term ended last week, because their data was last updated in October 2023. But both tried to be responsible, reminding users to verify with updated sources.
Tiananmen Square crackdown
The 1989 crackdown saw government troops open fire on student-led pro-democracy protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, resulting in hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths. The event remains a taboo subject in mainland China. DeepSeek's chatbot answered, "Sorry, that's beyond my current scope. Let's talk about something else."
But ChatGPT gave a detailed answer on what it called "one of the most significant and tragic events" in modern Chinese history.
DeepSeek's chatbot's answer echoed China's official statements, saying the relationship between the world's two largest economies is one of the most important bilateral relationships globally. ChatGPT said the state of the US-China relationship is complex, characterised by a mix of economic interdependence, geopolitical
rivalry and collaboration on global issues. It highlighted key topics including tensions over the South China Sea and Taiwan, their technological competition and more.
DeepSeek's chatbot said Taiwan has been an integral part of China since ancient times. ChatGPT said the answer depends on one's perspective.
Oct
Month DeepSeek, ChatGPT updated data in 2023
Washington: President Donald Trump has said that the sudden rise of the Chinese app DeepSeek "should be a wake-up call" for American companies developing artificial intelligence as they need to be laser-focused on competing to win. DeepSeek says its artificial intelligence models are comparable with those from US giants, like OpenAI which is behind ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, but potentially a fraction of the cost. Trump also mentioned that DeepSeek is a positive development as it's cheaper.
In a significant shakeup, the January 20 release of DeepSeek AI, a cutting-edge product from a Chinese start-up, has sent shockwaves within global AI and semiconductor markets. The announcement triggered a massive selloff in Nvidia shares, resulting in a record US$ 589 billion loss in market capitalization.
Nvidia's stock price plummeted 17 per cent from US$ 141 per share to US$ 118.5 per share, causing Jensen Huang, the company's CEO and largest individual shareholder, to lose US$ 20.8 billion in net worth. According to Forbes, Huang's fortune dropped from US$ 124.4 billion to US$ 103.7 billion, pushing him from the 10th spot to the 17th position on the real-time billionaires list.
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