Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few days, you’ll probably have heard of DeepSeek.
The artificial intelligence (AI) app which is a rival and alternative to the likes of ChatGPT and Google Gemini has catapulted to worldwide attention following the launch of its R1 AI model on 20 January, spooking investors and majorly crashing some US stocks.
But what’s so good about DeepSeek specifically? Why has it caused such a stir in the world of AI? And how can I start using it? All these questions and many more are answered below.
What is DeepSeek?
DeepSeek is the name of a new AI-powered chatbot created by a company of the same name.
This is what you’ll find in the app which has stormed to the top of the download charts on Apple’s App Store in the UK, US and China.
It’s underpinned by an AI large language model (LLM) known as R1, which has been trained on 670 million different variables, or parameters as they’re officially known. While initially trained using Nvidia hardware, its current operation relies on Huawei chips.
The R1 model is thought to be on par with Open AI’s O1 model, used in ChatGPT, when it comes to mathematics, coding and reasoning.
Why is DeepSeek so popular?
The big appeal of DeepSeek is just how affordable it supposedly is – at least in the context of AI.
DeepSeek claims it only cost around $6 million (approx. £4.8 million) to build, though some suggest this is an underestimate. Even so, it’s a far cry from the billions spent by US companies such as Google, Microsoft and OpenAI to develop equivalent services.
All this popularity hasn’t been without its issues for DeepSeek, though. On 27 January, the company was hit with a cyber attack that prompted it to temporarily limit registrations, though this has since been lifted.
Why has DeepSeek caused US stocks to fall?
DeepSeek has had a profound impact on the US stock market, causing an estimated $1 trillion to be wiped off its value in the space of a few days.
DeepSeek’s ability to seemingly achieve the same results as US rivals with a much lower cost and fewer resources has spooked investors, prompting many to sell their stocks in AI companies.
It’s also prompted question marks about who’s actually leading the global AI race, with US President Donald Trump declaring it to be a “wake-up call”.
Is DeepSeek free?
Yes! DeepSeek is free for anyone to use.
All that’s required is access to a mobile device or web browser and a stable internet connection.
Is DeepSeek available in the UK?
Yes. DeepSeek is available around the world, including the UK, US and China.
Where can you use DeepSeek?
DeepSeek can be downloaded as a free app on Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store.
A more basic web version is also available on the DeepSeek website. Head to the site, hit ‘Start Now’ and you can make use of DeepSeek-V3, the latest version at the time of writing.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
However, wherever you decide to access DeepSeek, you’ll need to sign up for a free account before you can start using it or you can log in with a Google account.
What can DeepSeek do?
DeepSeek AI can do pretty much everything the likes of ChatGPT and Google Gemini can do.
It works in much the same way – just type out a query or ask about any image or document that you upload.
When we asked DeepSeek for specific examples of what it can do, it mentioned answering questions, explaining concepts, assisting with writing, solving mathematical problems, providing recommendations and offering learning assistance.
In other words, much the same as other AI chatbots, albeit at a fraction of the price and with much fewer resources used.
DeepSeek’s ultimate goal is the same as other big AI companies – artificial general intelligence. This is another way of saying intelligence that’s on par with a human, though no one has achieved this yet.
Is DeepSeek a Chinese company?
Yes. DeepSeek was founded in Hangzhou, China where it’s still based.
Parent company High-Flyer is also Chinese, though it’s registered in the city of Ningbo.
Is DeepSeek a startup?
Yes. DeepSeek was founded in May 2023 by Lian Wenfeng.
However, it’s owned and backed by hedge fund company High-Flyer, which Wenfeng also co-founded. That firm was established in 2015, so it’s a bit older.
Is DeepSeek safe?
Yes, provided you’re careful with what information you disclose. Experts who spoke to The Guardian cautioned against revealing any personal information, simply because you don’t know where it goes.
The company itself says any personal information collected from users is stored “on secure servers located in the People’s Republic of China”, meaning it’s also subject to the Chinese government’s rules.
Just remember, anything you upload to DeepSeek, or any other generative AI service for that matter, can be used by the company to train its AI or for other purposes.