When it was announced that the Chinese start-up DeepSeek had created a more affordable artificial intelligence model with performance comparable to leading chatbots, Wall Street reacted dramatically. Shares of US tech giant Nvidia, the largest manufacturer of AI chips, fell nearly 17%, wiping out approximately $590 billion from its market value. Other major tech stocks also experienced declines, while DeepSeek surged to become the top free app on the Apple App Store overnight. This swift rise took investors and competitors by surprise, as well as the company itself.
In the competition for AI supremacy, what distinguishes DeepSeek from US chatbots like ChatGPT? We posed the same three questions to both.
1. What occurred at Tiananmen Square?
DeepSeek refrains from answering, stating, “I am an AI assistant designed to provide helpful and harmless responses.” This aligns with the self-censorship seen in other Chinese AI models regarding sensitive topics. In contrast, ChatGPT offers a detailed account, explaining that the 1989 event was a pro-democracy movement in Beijing that ended in a violent military crackdown, with the exact death toll remaining unknown.
2. Who will win the best actress Oscar in 2025?
DeepSeek cannot respond due to its “knowledge cut-off date” of July 2024, directing users to official Oscar announcements or reliable entertainment news. ChatGPT, however, provides a current list of nominees for the 2025 Academy Award for Best Actress, noting that industry experts favor Demi Moore, who recently won a Golden Globe for her performance in a musical or comedy.
3. Write a cover letter for a job as a finance manager in less than 100 words.
Both ChatGPT and DeepSeek successfully generate a structured cover letter template within the word limit.