DeepSeek: A Chinese AI Platform and a New Competitor to ChatGPT

DeepSeek is an emerging artificial intelligence platform from China, founded in 2023 by Chinese entrepreneur Liang Wenfeng. The platform garnered significant attention in January 2025 with the introduction of its advanced language model, DeepSeek-R1. This is a massive "reasoning" model with around 671 billion parameters, capable of competing with the world’s top language models—such as OpenAI’s GPT-4.

Introduction to the DeepSeek Platform :

DeepSeek is a rising artificial intelligence platform from China, founded in 2023 by Chinese entrepreneur Liang Wenfeng. The platform garnered significant attention in January 2025 with the introduction of its advanced language model, DeepSeek-R1. This "reasoning" model is extremely large—boasting approximately 671 billion parameters—and is positioned as a serious competitor to leading text-based models such as OpenAI's GPT-4.

According to DeepSeek, the R1 model delivers performance that is on par with or superior to top models in logic and mathematics benchmarks, and it has even outperformed others in tasks like mathematical problem solving and programming (e.g., SWE-bench). A standout feature of DeepSeek is its open-source approach: the R1 model was released under the MIT license and is publicly available through Hugging Face. This means developers and businesses are free to use the model—even for commercial purposes—and can build derivative versions of their own.

Within a short time after the release of R1, over 500 derivative models were created by the developer community, with more than 2.5 million downloads, demonstrating widespread enthusiasm for this open-source offering. DeepSeek has also introduced an API interface for its model, enabling access to R1’s full computing power at a cost reported to be 90–95% cheaper than the APIs offered by OpenAI.

Altogether, DeepSeek’s powerful performance, free/low-cost accessibility, and open-source nature make it a serious competitor to established platforms like ChatGPT.

However, DeepSeek’s rise has not been without controversy. OpenAI—the creator of ChatGPT—has explicitly expressed concern over the rapid growth of this Chinese rival and has raised several criticisms. In a 15-page policy memo, Chris Lehane, a vice president at OpenAI, warned that using DeepSeek in critical infrastructure could be risky, as the platform might be compelled to alter its model outputs under pressure from the Chinese government. According to OpenAI, Chinese companies, including DeepSeek, are legally obligated to disclose user data upon government request. Given that DeepSeek was developed with government subsidies and made freely accessible, the cost of using it may come at the expense of privacy and user data security.

Moreover, DeepSeek’s AI has reportedly shown a greater tendency than competitors to generate harmful or illegal outputs—such as assisting in identity fraud or intellectual property theft. On these grounds, OpenAI has urged the U.S. government and its allies to consider banning the use of the model.

Despite these warnings, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has admitted that the emergence of DeepSeek’s R1 model acted as a “catalyst” competitor, prompting OpenAI to accelerate the release of newer, more advanced models. This acknowledgment underscores how DeepSeek has managed to establish itself as a serious contender in the global AI race, highlighting both its technical potential and the rising geopolitical sensitivities surrounding artificial intelligence technologies.

Comparison of DeepSeek with 5 Leading AI Platforms

In the following section, we compare DeepSeek with five other prominent platforms in the field of intelligent language models. These platforms include:

ChatGPT (by OpenAI), Google Bard, Microsoft Bing Chat, Anthropic Claude 2, and the open-source model Meta LLaMA 2.

The table below offers a concise comparison of these platforms based on key criteria, such as the developing company, model version and release year, pricing status (free or paid), open-source availability, and the main advantages and limitations of each platform.

Analysis of the Comparison :

As observed, DeepSeek stands out as a unique contender among its competitors. This open-source platform has made its massive model (R1) freely available to users, whereas most other platforms offer their models in a closed format, accessible only through cloud services. In terms of cost, DeepSeek’s approach is highly affordable; users can run the full model without paying or use its API at a minimal cost. By contrast, accessing the most powerful version of ChatGPT requires a monthly subscription, and while many other leading platforms currently offer their models for free, they may introduce paid tiers in the future.

In terms of strengths, ChatGPT remains a top choice due to its broad general knowledge and a strong ecosystem of plugins and integrations. Google Bard distinguishes itself with seamless integration into Google's services and instant access to real-time data. Bing Chat is attractive to general users thanks to its integration with web search and image generation capabilities. Claude 2 has carved a niche through its high input capacity—ideal for processing long documents—and emphasis on safety. Meanwhile, LLaMA 2 is valued as an open-source foundation for enthusiasts and companies looking to build custom models.

On the limitations side, DeepSeek’s primary challenge lies in its association with China’s regulatory framework, which can lead to censorship of certain political topics and raise concerns around data security and possible state access. Other platforms also have their drawbacks: ChatGPT’s closed-source nature and subscription fees, Bard’s less-than-optimal performance in some domains, Bing Chat’s reliance on the Edge browser and shorter conversation lengths, Claude’s regional access restrictions, and LLaMA 2’s need for technical expertise and lack of user-friendly interfaces.

Overall, DeepSeek’s strong technical performance and open approach have enabled it to combine many of its competitors’ advantages—though not without its own set of challenges.

Real-World Use Cases of DeepSeek:

A key criterion in evaluating any AI platform is its practical utility across real-world scenarios. DeepSeek, as a powerful language model, is capable of being employed across various domains. Below are some notable scenarios—from education to business—highlighting DeepSeek’s potential in each area:

Education and Learning:

Thanks to its strong reasoning capabilities and grasp of scientific concepts, DeepSeek can serve as an intelligent tutor alongside teachers and professors. For example, it can solve and explain complex math and physics problems step by step, aiding students in comprehension and practice. As a smart educational assistant, it can answer academic questions across subjects and suggest supplementary resources. Its multilingual capability (English, Chinese, and potentially more) also makes it useful for language learning and translation. However, in educational contexts, responses should be validated to prevent misuse or academic dishonesty.

Content Creation and Writing:

DeepSeek is a robust text generator ideal for writers, content creators, and marketers. It can assist in drafting articles, blog posts, story outlines, or ad copy. Its reasoning power enables the generation of more analytical and coherent texts, even assisting in editing and refining drafts. For instance, a blogger can request summaries from multiple sources and use DeepSeek to create a comprehensive article. Marketers can use it to brainstorm slogans or promotional content. A key benefit of DeepSeek being open-source is the lack of access or usage restrictions—unlike cloud services with quotas. Nevertheless, final outputs should be human-reviewed to ensure accuracy and appropriate tone.

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Education and Learning:

Thanks to its strong reasoning capabilities and solid understanding of scientific concepts, DeepSeek can serve as an intelligent educational assistant alongside teachers and instructors. For instance, the platform can solve complex math and physics problems step by step and explain each stage clearly, making it a valuable tool for students seeking to better grasp challenging topics or practice problem-solving. Additionally, DeepSeek can answer scientific questions across various fields and suggest supplementary resources. The multilingual capacity of its newer models (currently supporting English and Chinese, with potential for expansion) makes it useful for language instruction and translation as well. However, in educational settings, it is crucial to ensure that answers are fact-checked and that its use is supervised to prevent academic dishonesty.

Content Creation and Writing:

As a generative language model, DeepSeek is a powerful tool for producing a wide range of content. Writers, content creators, and marketers can leverage it to draft articles, blog posts, story outlines, or marketing copy. Its advanced reasoning capabilities enable it to generate more analytical and coherent text, and it can also assist in editing and refining existing content. For example, a blogger could ask DeepSeek to summarize several sources and then use that summary to create a comprehensive analytical article. A copywriter might use it to brainstorm slogans or generate marketing language. A major advantage of DeepSeek’s open-source nature is that it places no access or usage limits on content creation—unlike cloud-based services, which often cap usage based on word count or request limits. However, the final quality and tone of content still require human review to ensure accuracy and brand alignment.

Video Production and Scriptwriting:

Although DeepSeek is a text-based model and does not directly generate videos, it can play a significant role in the pre-production and post-production phases of video content creation. For instance, when writing a script for a short film or educational video, DeepSeek can help generate screenplays, dialogues, and storyline structures. A director or content producer can describe their raw idea in natural language and ask the model to propose a more detailed scenario with diverse dialogues. In the realm of educational videos, DeepSeek can generate narration texts or video scripts based on scientific content. Furthermore, thanks to its summarization capabilities, DeepSeek can be used to extract key points from lengthy videos—such as lectures or webinars—and generate written summaries or presentation slides. In the future, if DeepSeek integrates with video-generation models (like DALL-E 3 or Waymark), fully automated video creation with minimal human involvement could become a reality. For now, however, DeepSeek’s role in video production remains primarily textual—focused on ideation and scriptwriting.

Expert Guidance and Consultation:

Another practical application of DeepSeek is its ability to act as a virtual advisor in various fields. Given its access to a vast knowledge base, DeepSeek can provide consultation in areas like business, technology, legal matters, or even non-diagnostic medical advice. For example, a startup could ask DeepSeek for strategies to optimize its processes, or a user in the finance sector could seek advice on investment principles or market analysis. DeepSeek can also analyze documents and data provided by users—such as financial reports or legal texts—and produce digestible summaries and insights. Moreover, organizations can fine-tune the model on their proprietary data to create a custom version of DeepSeek that acts as an internal advisor, answering employee questions and offering technical recommendations. A key benefit of the platform's open-source nature in this context is that companies can process sensitive information locally, without having to share data with external service providers like OpenAI. Nonetheless, it is important that the model’s outputs in consulting contexts be reviewed by human experts to ensure accuracy and avoid misleading suggestions.

Business and Enterprise Applications:

In business environments, DeepSeek can function as an all-purpose organizational assistant. For example, it can power a chatbot that responds to frequently asked customer questions, provides product guidance, and resolves common issues—all without the need for full-time human support staff. Additionally, sales and marketing teams can leverage DeepSeek for sentiment analysis on social media or to review customer feedback and adjust strategies accordingly. In project management and documentation, DeepSeek can help automate tasks such as drafting formal emails, generating periodic reports from raw data, or summarizing lengthy documents for executive meetings. Given the R1 model's high reasoning and text comprehension capabilities, it can read complex technical or legal documents and extract key insights valuable for business decision-making. In summary, DeepSeek can enhance team productivity in organizational scenarios by automating repetitive tasks and accelerating access to critical information. However, for sensitive applications (such as processing personal customer data), necessary security and confidentiality measures must be in place. Furthermore, compliance with industry-specific regulations (such as those in finance or healthcare) should be ensured when deploying the model.

Analysis of DeepSeek’s Paid Version:

Economic Value and Technical Advantages

DeepSeek takes a different approach compared to many competitors by offering its core model for free and under an open-source license. As such, it might not have a "paid version" in the conventional sense; however, there are commercially oriented services built around the model. The most important is the DeepSeek API, which allows companies and developers to access the full power of the 671-billion-parameter model without needing to host it themselves. The economic value of this service becomes clearer when compared to similar offerings. According to the company, using the R1 model via API is about 90–95% cheaper than using OpenAI’s API for models like GPT-4. This significant cost reduction makes it an attractive option for businesses requiring high volumes of daily language processing. In other words, DeepSeek offers nearly the same level of capability as premium-priced competitors at a fraction of the cost. From an economic perspective, this means that organizations can deliver powerful AI-driven services to their users or run research projects without being burdened by the high costs typically associated with large language models.

In addition to cost, the technical advantages of the paid/enterprise version of DeepSeek are also significant. In DeepSeek’s business model, instead of selling exclusive access to the model, the focus is on offering complementary services and infrastructure capabilities. One such advantage is the ability to deploy a dedicated instance of the model for large clients. Companies can run a customized version of DeepSeek R1 on their own servers or selected cloud platforms, benefiting from technical support provided by the DeepSeek team (likely through a subscription or enterprise licensing arrangement). This approach allows organizations to maintain full control over their data and how the model is used—an advantage not typically found in fully cloud-based services like ChatGPT.

From a technical perspective, the open-source nature of the DeepSeek-R1 model means that AI engineers can audit the model, and if necessary, modify or fine-tune it. For instance, a company can inject its domain-specific data to fine-tune the model and optimize it for industry-specific terminology. Such a level of technical flexibility is generally unavailable in competing platforms, where both the source code and model weights are kept proprietary. Therefore, the enterprise/commercial version of DeepSeek offers exceptional technical value for clients who want deeper control over the technology and seek to build customized solutions that fit their unique needs.

From a return on investment (ROI) perspective, DeepSeek can also be evaluated. Organizations that opt to use DeepSeek instead of paying high monthly subscription fees or request-based charges to external services can achieve significant long-term cost savings. The primary costs associated with DeepSeek are typically limited to hardware and technical personnel needed to maintain the model (if self-hosted), or a low, fixed API rate if utilizing DeepSeek’s cloud service. In contrast, services like OpenAI may incur exponentially increasing costs at high usage volumes.

Another competitive advantage of DeepSeek’s enterprise version is strategic independence; companies that rely on DeepSeek are less exposed to sudden policy or pricing changes by foreign tech providers. For example, if OpenAI decides to modify its API usage terms or pricing, businesses dependent on it would face risks. However, using an open-source model like DeepSeek offers more immunity from such changes, since organizations always have the option to self-host or migrate to forked versions.

All of these factors indicate that, from both an economic and technical standpoint, DeepSeek—especially in enterprise scenarios—is a highly attractive option, provided the implementing organization is able to properly address data security and regulatory compliance considerations (given the model’s Chinese origin).

Assessment of DeepSeek Platform Capabilities Across Different Domains

In this section, we provide a more specific evaluation of DeepSeek’s capabilities in four specialized areas:

1. Code generation and programming assistance

2. Video creation or scriptwriting

3. AI-based image generation

4. File support (Word, Excel, PDF, etc.)

This assessment illustrates where DeepSeek can be effectively utilized and highlights any potential limitations in each area.

Code Generation and Programming Assistance:

DeepSeek, as a language model that has demonstrated outstanding performance in programming benchmarks, undoubtedly possesses strong capabilities in code generation, auto-completion, and debugging. This platform can respond to programmers’ questions regarding syntax and library usage, and can even generate portions of code based on textual descriptions. For instance, a developer can ask DeepSeek to implement a Merge Sort algorithm in Python or assist in identifying bugs in a piece of JavaScript code.

According to results from the SWE-bench benchmark, DeepSeek’s R1 model performs on par with, or even surpasses, OpenAI’s models in coding tasks. Thus, in terms of code generation, DeepSeek is highly competitive. Another advantage is its ability to integrate with development environments and tools. Due to its open-source nature, the model can be deployed offline as a plugin in code editors like VS Code.

However, like other language models, the code generated by DeepSeek should be reviewed and tested to ensure functionality and optimization. Overall, DeepSeek has excellent potential as a coding assistant—similar to GitHub Copilot—without the need for a costly license.

Video Production and Scriptwriting:

Although DeepSeek is a text-based model and does not directly generate video content, it can play a significant role in both the pre-production and post-production phases of video creation. For example, when scripting a short film or developing educational video content, DeepSeek can assist in writing screenplays, dialogues, and general story outlines. A director or content creator can describe a basic idea in natural language, and the model can expand it into a detailed script with varied dialogue and structured scenes.

Additionally, in the realm of educational videos, DeepSeek is capable of generating narrations or scientific video scripts. Its summarization capabilities can also be used to extract key points from lengthy videos—such as lectures or webinars—and produce written summaries or slide content.

In the future, if DeepSeek integrates with video generation models (such as DALL-E 3 or platforms like Waymark that produce video from text), it could contribute to fully automated video creation with minimal human input. As it stands, DeepSeek’s role in the video domain is primarily content support—providing ideas and scripting—rather than generating visual output.

AI-Powered Image Generation:

DeepSeek is a language-based model, meaning its input and output are purely textual. It does not have the built-in architecture to process or generate images, and therefore it cannot independently create visual content like artistic illustrations, photorealistic graphics, or concept designs.

For AI-generated imagery, specialized models such as DALL·E, Stable Diffusion, or Midjourney are commonly used, as they are specifically designed for pixel-level image generation. DeepSeek is not in this category, but it can still play an indirect and supportive role in the image creation process.

For instance, a graphic designer can use DeepSeek to generate detailed and imaginative text prompts for image-generation tools. These prompts can describe specific scenes, objects, or styles that are then input into a visual model like DALL·E to produce the desired image. In this way, DeepSeek acts like a prompt engineer—providing rich textual descriptions that enhance the quality and accuracy of the visual output.

Additionally, DeepSeek can be helpful in analyzing or narrating image content, though not by reading the images directly. If a companion tool converts the content of an image into a textual description (for example, using an image captioning model), DeepSeek can further process, interpret, or build narratives around that description.

In summary, DeepSeek is not an image generator, but it serves as a valuable creative and conceptual assistant for those working with AI image tools. It helps with ideation, prompt generation, and narrative development around visual content—functioning as the writer behind the visual artist.

Support for Word, Excel, PDF, and Other File Formats:

One of the essential needs of professional users is the ability to work with various document and data formats within an intelligent assistant environment. For example, analyzing an Excel file, extracting key points from a lengthy PDF, or converting a Word document into a textual summary are among the practical applications of AI in the workplace.

By default, DeepSeek accepts only plain text input and produces text-based output. Therefore, in its raw version, it does not support direct file uploads or native file parsing. In other words, if a user provides a PDF document to DeepSeek, the model alone cannot directly read the file's contents.

However, there are effective workarounds. Since the R1 model has a high input token capacity, users can convert file contents into plain text and input them in segments. For instance, the text from a 20-page PDF report can be fed to DeepSeek in parts, and then the model can be asked to produce a comprehensive summary.

Some customized versions and user interfaces built on DeepSeek may allow direct file uploads, where the file’s content is extracted behind the scenes and fed into the model. It’s also possible to connect DeepSeek with tools like Microsoft Office or Google Docs using scripting solutions, allowing it to access content from those platforms.

That said, these are not inherent capabilities of the base model, but features added through external tools and integration. Regarding output, DeepSeek can generate simple structured formats in text, such as Markdown tables resembling Excel spreadsheets or bullet point lists akin to PowerPoint slides. With a bit of post-processing, such outputs can be converted back into common file types—for instance, turning a table into a .csv file for Excel.

In contrast, competing platforms like ChatGPT Plus now support direct file uploads and in-chat analysis, a capability that DeepSeek currently does not natively offer. Overall, DeepSeek offers decent flexibility in file handling, but requires intermediate tools for reading or writing non-text formats. Tech-savvy users can leverage the model’s open-source API to build such integrations and make the most of DeepSeek’s document analysis potential.

Final Summary

DeepSeek, as a powerful open-source AI platform, presents an attractive option for a specific group of users and organizations. If you're a developer or AI researcher who needs full access to a large language model and seeks the flexibility to modify it according to your needs, DeepSeek is an ideal choice. Its open-source nature allows users to fine-tune the model with their own data, deploy it on custom hardware, and even adjust internal model parameters. Furthermore, large enterprises or startups handling high volumes of natural language processing (e.g., chatbot services for millions of users) can benefit economically from DeepSeek, as its operating costs are significantly lower than many alternatives. In educational and research contexts, DeepSeek’s open accessibility makes it a valuable platform for experimenting with new ideas and advancing NLP frontiers. Overall, when priorities include greater control over technology, cost reduction, and flexibility — as in open-source, academic, or data-sensitive business projects — DeepSeek comes highly recommended. Early user experiences suggest the platform delivers industry-level performance and challenges the dominance of leading competitors, without imposing typical access restrictions or costs.

However, there are situations where using DeepSeek may not be advisable or may require caution. Firstly, if your intended use involves politically sensitive topics or restricted content (such as issues censored in China), DeepSeek will comply with the content policies of its country of origin and may refuse to respond. In such cases, platforms like ChatGPT, which have different censorship boundaries, might be more responsive. Secondly, organizations or users with national security or high-level confidentiality concerns should be cautious about adopting technology originating from China. While no solid evidence has been presented of government misuse of DeepSeek, concerns have been raised about potential state access to user data. Thus, in sectors like government or defense, it may be preferable to use other open-source models with less geopolitical dependency. Additionally, if you're seeking a plug-and-play solution — say, a business manager who needs an AI assistant for staff without a strong tech team — hosted platforms like ChatGPT or Bard may be easier to deploy. While DeepSeek is free, its effective implementation requires technical knowledge of AI model deployment and time for configuration and potentially coding. In conclusion, DeepSeek offers an exciting future and has accelerated the global AI race. Whether or not to use it depends on your specific needs, available resources, and acceptable risk levels. If its strengths align with your goals, DeepSeek could be a strategic advantage in your digital transformation journey. Otherwise, there are many alternatives on the market, each with their own strengths.