China’s new AI chatbot, DeepSeek, is making waves—but not just for its tech prowess.
Launched by the AI firm DeepSeek, the bot has skyrocketed in popularity, surpassing ChatGPT on app stores in the US and UK. But it’s not all smooth sailing.
The chatbot faces backlash for heavily censoring topics deemed sensitive to China’s government.
DeepSeek Dodges Questions
DeepSeek conveniently dodges questions about politically charged events like the Tiananmen Square crackdown or Xi Jinping’s comparisons to Winnie-the-Pooh.
Users are met with the canned response, “Sorry, that’s beyond my current scope.”
However, clever netizens have found workarounds by using leetspeak or rephrasing queries, like replacing certain characters with numbers.
Taiwan & Dalai Lama
Under Chinese law, generative AI must align with “core socialist values,” leaving DeepSeek toeing the party line on Taiwan and the Dalai Lama.
For instance, when asked about Taiwan’s status, DeepSeek staunchly declared it part of China, while Western bots like ChatGPT offered a more balanced view.
