DeepSeek: The Chinese AI app that has the world talking.

On 20 January 2025, the latest version of DeepSeek, an artificial intelligence model of Chinese origin, was released in the app store. The app reached the top of the download charts in the Apple Store, causing quite an uproar among investors.

The main characteristic of the model in question is the ‘low-cost’ nature of its production: the company claims that the construction of their product cost about a fraction of the cost of the most recognised models in the field - simply because it uses fewer advanced chips.

The United States, meanwhile, seem rather frightened by the threat that a model like DeepSeek can pose. The current president, Donald Trump, has stressed the urgency of US tech companies being able to compete with these ‘enemies’. The rise of this model has also highlighted how Washington does not yet have a clear plan to prevent Beijing from achieving technological supremacy, considering also the restriction on exporting advanced chips to China.