JAKARTA DeepSeek's global success was greeted with pride and enthusiasm by the Chinese people, including bloggers, state media, and local residents. Many consider the rapid revival of this AI startup as evidence that China is able to face Washington's efforts to limit the country's technology industry.
Last week, DeepSeek launched a free AI assistant that it claims uses less data at a much lower cost than existing similar services. As of Monday, January 27, the app has surpassed the number of ChatGPT downloads on the Apple App Store in a week, sparking the sell-off of technology stocks in the global market.
DeepSek's success in rivaling OpenAI at lower costs raises questions about the sustainability of US AI giant business models and profit margins such as Nvidia and Microsoft. Meanwhile, in China, this success raises optimism that the country can overcome US export restrictions limiting access to advanced semiconductors.
"This is also a symbol that US efforts to suppress, hinder and impose sanctions on China in the field of advanced technology have failed completely," military commentator Chen Xi wrote on his WeChat account on Wednesday, January 29.
US President Donald Trump said Monday that DeepSek's progress should be a driving force for American companies to advance. He also said that it would be good for the world if Chinese companies succeeded in developing cheaper and faster AI methods.
The provincial government of Zhejiang, where DeepSek is based, through its official media published a long essay on Wednesday which has quickly gone viral and has been read more than 100,000 times.
"Months in people's countries are not always rounder, what they can do, we can do it too, even better," the article wrote, as well as criticizing those who are too pessimistic and too euphoric about China's technological developments.
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DeepSek's success reminded the public of the reaction when Huawei surprisingly released the high-end Mate 60 Pro mobile phone in 2023, amid the visit of the then US Trade Minister, Gina Raimondo. Huawei at that time succeeded in delivering advanced phones despite years of harsh sanctions from the US.
Chen Jianuo, a 38-year-old employee in a sustainable development magazine in Beijing, said he was proud of DeepSek's popularity abroad after seeing it become a trend topic on Weibo's social media.
"China has made great progress in the development of artificial intelligence, and I hope that the technological development of our country will be more advanced," he said.
Meanwhile, Leo Li, a 24-year-old student, is delighted that Chinese companies can now compete with Meta and OpenAI. "I am very proud because as Chinese citizens, we have research and development of AI which has become a global phenomenon," he said.
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