'DeepSeek moved me to tears': How young Chinese find therapy in AI.

The relationship between artificial intelligence and the mental health of users has been investigated several times in the past; last year we published an article regarding the distorted empathy of this technology and the risks involved when it is misused in psychological contexts, however, this landscape is in flux.

Since DeepSeek's release during January, this Chinese-made artificial intelligence model has caught the tech world off guard, leading to several investigations regarding its sudden fame. Despite the confusion around its nature, the application immediately became quite popular among the young Chinese public.

Several users, more specifically, saw the possibility of a new approach to therapy through of this model. Several individuals in China have communicated, in one way or another, dissatisfaction with their lives: the stagnant economy, high unemployment, and quarantine during Covid have caused considerable damage to the psyche of younger citizens, now looking for new ways to vent their frustrations.