The News
Chinese startup DeepSeek’s new chatbot remained top of US app store downloads into Tuesday, besting American rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
DeepSeek has been downloaded more than 2 million times since its launch on Jan. 15, with almost 70% of those taking place in the last three days, according to data from market intelligence firm AppMagic shared with Semafor.
The Chinese company’s new R1 model — apparently built for just $6 million — took the tech world by storm, showing abilities similar to the most capable US AI models despite using far less advanced — and far less expensive — chips.
After the app’s sudden prominence caused global market chaos Monday, tech stocks remained volatile into Tuesday, although experts say the long-term impact is still unclear. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, called the Chinese company’s success a “wake-up call,” while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman vowed to respond with “better models.”
SIGNALS
Americans embrace Chinese apps despite security, privacy concerns
Throughout the former Biden administration, Washington implemented successive export bans and other restrictions to curb Chinese technology on security grounds (an effort capped by the order for TikTok to be sold or banned). Yet US consumers appear unfazed. DeepSeek’s ascent to the top of Apple’s US App Store followed the sudden rise of another Chinese social media app, Xiaohongshu. DeepSeek is “the latest evidence that moratoriums like the TikTok ban will not stop Americans from using Chinese-owned services,” Wired wrote, even if they present a greater risk. Chatbots like DeepSeek’s R1 model are perhaps riskier than video-sharing sites like TikTok because users are more likely to share personal details, a privacy expert told the outlet.
DeepSeek-style AI presents military, security risks
DeepSeek’s low-cost, high-capability AI model could present an opportunity for world militaries to develop and use similar technology, tech journalist Geoffrey Cain argued in The Free Press: “Military strategies that once relied on large arsenals and expensive hardware are vulnerable to disruption by nimble, cost-effective alternatives.” Drones and other off-the-shelf hardware could run on a “DeepSeek-style AI,” for example, he wrote. There’s a “remote but not impossible” chance that the Chinese military is already using the model, military expert Mick Ryan argued, adding that other militaries will likely be racing to test it, particularly if it represents an alternative to purchasing expensive AI services from US companies. Still, the idea that DeepSeek itself represents a game-changer on the battlefield is likely overblown, Ryan cautioned.