What is DeepSeek? Everything You Need to Know About the New ChatGPT Competitor That Has Succeeded in the App Store.

DeepSeek has made a surprising entry into the field of artificial intelligence, especially after the launch of its R1 model on January 20, which has gained attention for its ability to compete with ChatGPT-o1 at no cost to users. In a short time, its application has become the most downloaded in the iPhone App Store due to the remarkable popularity it has achieved.

This AI startup, originally from China, launched its deep learning models, DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1, designed to rival the more advanced versions of ChatGPT but at a significantly lower cost for its APIs. Beyond its pricing, one of DeepSeek's main advantages lies in its efficiency, as it can handle queries using fewer computational resources.

However, the company has not been exempt from controversy. Some analysts have expressed concerns about the privacy of the data handled by DeepSeek, given the potential implications of sensitive information falling into the hands of the Chinese government, especially considering the recent legal disputes surrounding platforms like TikTok. Furthermore, DeepSeek has faced service interruptions due to malicious attacks, leading the company to limit the registration of new users.

Founded in May 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, a well-known figure in the hedge fund and AI sectors, DeepSeek made its debut with DeepSeek Coder in November 2023, followed by DeepSeek-V2 in May 2024. The latter release was notable for its aggressive pricing model, impacting the AI sector in China and forcing competitors to adjust their rates. Currently, its latest models, DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1, have proven competitive, offering performance on par with its rivals.

DeepSeek stands out not only for its quality but also for its user interaction. Although it lacks some of the advanced features of ChatGPT, such as multimedia generation, it offers a free experience that is attractive to many. To access the service as a chatbot, users only need to register at DeepSeek.com or download the corresponding mobile application, where they can use the DeepSeek-V3 model or switch to R1 for more complex tasks.

The R1 model is specifically designed to provide deeper reasoning and is ideal for mathematical questions or problems that require critical thinking. Despite its intuitive focus and basic functionality, the platform allows for a smooth interaction similar to ChatGPT, albeit with certain limitations in customization and features.

Regarding usage costs, DeepSeek presents itself as a budget-friendly option compared to ChatGPT, which requires a subscription to access advanced features. Although DeepSeek allows image uploads, this functionality is restricted to text extraction, while ChatGPT can respond to questions about images in a more interactive manner.

In the end, DeepSeek appears to be a viable option for those seeking a free tool for chatbots, coding, and text extraction, although users requiring more advanced features or customization should carefully consider their choice.