The Chinese startup DeepSeek is rapidly gaining popularity in the field of artificial intelligence, becoming the most popular free app in the US App Store. After the launch of AI Assistant on January 10, 2025, it overtook ChatGPT in terms of downloads in the US, which signaled a signal to the global tech industry. What is important to know about the application, UNN reports.
DeepSeek was founded in Hangzhou, China, in 2023. Subsequently, the company also released its first major AI language model.
Today, DeepSeek is the most popular app on the App Store and Google Play, surpassing the well-known ChatGPT. The app's popularity grew rapidly among users in the United States immediately after its launch on January 10, 2025.
This breakthrough by the Chinese startup DeepSeek was an important signal for Silicon Valley. The event overturned established views on US dominance in the field of artificial intelligence and called into question the effectiveness of Washington's export controls.
DeepSeek R1 was developed in 2 months and for only $6 million, which is much cheaper than the billions spent by Western companies. R1 queries are 98% cheaper than ChatGPT.
Despite the US restrictions on exporting powerful chips, DeepSeek used affordable Nvidia H800s along with its own innovations.
DeepSeek became the first Chinese AI model to be recognized by the US industry as not only equal to the best US models but also surpassing them in some aspects. This demonstrates the growing influence of Chinese startups in the global AI market.
In addition, the announcement of a new artificial intelligence platform, China's DeepSeek, caused a sharp drop in the shares of Western AI-related technologies. This is because the developers of the application promise high performance at very low costs. The sale of technology companies associated with the Chinese artificial intelligence developer DeepSeek led to a sharp drop in major indices.
In addition, it is known that the world's 500 richest people have already lost $108 billion. This was especially reflected in Nvidia, which lost a record $589 billion. Shares of the American GPU manufacturer fell by 17%. This is the biggest drop in the company's history.
However, with the growing interest in the new app, it is important not to forget about user safety.
Cybersecurity expert Philippe Mazan, senior manager of advanced threat detection and artificial intelligence research at ESET, commented on the privacy risks associated with using DeepSeek.
"This accessibility comes at a significant price - our privacy. According to DeepSeek's privacy policy, the app's data is stored on servers in China, including chat history, including text, audio, prompts, and any uploaded files such as images or PDFs," Mazan said.
In particular, the expert recommends avoiding uploading confidential information, especially personal or work data, when using the app. Even queries related to everyday topics such as health or politics can carry risks.
"These warnings apply to all platforms where we provide personal information, including ChatGPT Open AI. However, since DeepSeek stores data in China, more questions arise about how it can be used without consent," the expert added.
In addition, according to him, the DeepSeek, R1 model provides greater accessibility, but also makes it vulnerable to manipulation.
Attackers, including cybercriminal groups, can use this increased capability to optimize their malicious code or create unlimited disruptive content. Ultimately, these services can be used to manipulate public opinion and change political thinking in subtle ways, as is the case with social media, and in the wrong hands, they can become weapons of mass destruction