DeepSeek AI: What Sets It Apart? Top 10 Burning Questions Answered
DeepSeek AI, the newest player in the artificial intelligence landscape, has quickly garnered attention worldwide. Launched as a chatbot and heralded for its innovation, it has disrupted markets and even gained praise from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who acknowledged its capabilities as a strong competitor to established models like GPT-4. Remarkably, the development of DeepSeek reportedly cost just $6 million, a fraction of what its competitors have invested.
Hereโs a closer look at DeepSeek AI, answering the top 10 burning questions that define its rise and distinctiveness in the AI race.
1. What is DeepSeek?
DeepSeek is a tech startup headquartered in Hangzhou, China, founded in July 2023. Its flagship product, the DeepSeek AI Assistant, quickly became a sensation following its launch on the Apple App Store on January 10, 2025, where it skyrocketed to become the top free app.
2. Who is the founder of DeepSeek?
DeepSeek was founded by Liang Wenfeng, a financier who leveraged his hedge fund resources to fund the company. Liangโs strategic foresight in obtaining critical technology before restrictions were placed on Chinese access to Nvidia GPUs played a significant role in DeepSeekโs development.
3. How did DeepSeek access computing power for AI development?
DeepSeek relied heavily on Nvidia A100 GPUs, a powerful computing resource essential for AI training. Liang Wenfeng reportedly secured access to these GPUs before U.S. export restrictions to China came into effect, giving DeepSeek a critical edge in developing its AI models.
4. How can you use DeepSeek AI?
There are two primary ways to access DeepSeek:
- Mobile App: Download the DeepSeek AI Assistant from the Apple App Store, where it currently holds a 4.6-star rating and requires just 36.5 MB of space.
- Web Interface: Visit chat.deepseek.com to use the platform on your browser.
5. Is DeepSeek R1 as powerful as GPT-4?
DeepSeek R1 surpasses GPT-4 in some benchmarks:
- MMLU Benchmark: DeepSeek R1 scores 90.8, compared to GPT-4โs 86.4.
- Token Capacity: DeepSeek R1 handles 128k tokens, significantly more than GPT-4โs 8,192 tokens.
- Cost Efficiency: DeepSeek R1 operates at a fraction of GPT-4โs input/output costs.
Additionally, DeepSeek R1โs open-source nature contrasts with the proprietary approach of GPT-4, allowing greater accessibility for developers and researchers.
6. How was DeepSeek so affordable to develop?
DeepSeekโs development reportedly cost between $5.5 million and $6 million, compared to the billions spent by other AI giants. This cost-efficiency was achieved by leveraging open-source methodologies and minimizing reliance on costly proprietary technology.
7. Are there other open-source models like DeepSeek R1?
Yes, other companies, such as Meta, have developed open-source AI models, including the Llama large language model family. However, DeepSeekโs unique combination of performance, cost-efficiency, and usability has made it a standout in the open-source AI landscape.
8. What is DeepSeek R1 particularly good at?
DeepSeek R1 has been praised for its exceptional performance in maths and logical reasoning tasks. However, user feedback suggests that it may not be as strong in creative applications, such as content creation or storytelling, where models like GPT-4 excel.
9. Is DeepSeek based in China, and are there any concerns about using it?
DeepSeek is indeed based in China and adheres to the countryโs content regulations. This has raised concerns, particularly in countries like the U.S. and India, where national security and data privacy issues related to foreign AI models are hot topics.
These regulatory concerns may influence the adoption of DeepSeek outside China, especially in markets with strict data protection laws.
10. How does DeepSeek differ from models like ChatGPT or Google Gemini?
The primary distinction lies in its open-source framework and cost-efficient architecture:
- Open-Source Advantage: Unlike proprietary models such as GPT-4, DeepSeek R1 is fully open-source, offering greater transparency and flexibility.
- Inference-Time Computing: DeepSeek relies on inference-time computing, reducing the need for intensive computational resources, which helps keep operational costs low.
This operational model makes DeepSeek R1 not only accessible but also sustainable for long-term use at a lower cost.
DeepSeek AI: What Sets It Apart? Top 10 Burning Questions Answered
