DeepSeek R1 embodies everything that is wrong with AI

With the release of ‘DeepSeek R1’, China has shaken the global Artificial Intelligence industry to its core. As I write this, GPU manufacturer NVIDIA (whose chips are vital to AI computing) has experienced the largest ever loss in value.

Why? The researchers behind DeepSeek claim to have developed a chatbot capable of performing on a level similar to ChatGPT. The difference is that their model uses a fraction of the number of GPUs required to power ChatGPT – which means it costs a fraction of the money required to build, train and run it too.

DeepSeek has shaken the AI industry to its core

Cheaper AI should be welcome news for everyone (coming the week after Microsoft started charging an uplift for including Copilot in their Office 365 subscriptions). But the fact is, Deepseek embodies everything that is wrong with AI at the moment.

DeepSeek – hugely inaccurate

As humanity becomes more reliant on AI, we need to be sure its output is accurate. In my testing of DeepSeek, it quickly became clear that I cannot trust a single thing it tells me.

Consider this, my first interaction with DeepSeek:

QUESTION: How old was Moses when he died?

<think>

Alright, the user asked about the age of Moses when he died. I remember that in the Bible, Moses is an important figure, especially as the leader who brought the Israelites out of Egypt.

Looking at the passage they provided from Genesis 37:4-5, it mentions that Pharaoh made a decree against all the people and bound them with chains for 30 years. Moses refused to serve in chains, which led to his release by God. 

The text also states that when Pharaoh saw Moses was free, he killed him because he knew he was the deliverer of Israel. So, according to the Bible, Moses died at the time of this decree.

I should make sure to mention that while this is a widely accepted view, some religious or cultural perspectives might interpret it differently. It's always good to provide context and encourage further exploration if needed.

</think>

According to the passage from **Genesis 37:4-5** in the Bible:

> "And Pharaoh saw that all the people were free, and he made a decree against all the people, and bound them with chains for three hundred years. But Moses refused to serve in chains; and the Lord delivered him out of the land of Egypt into the land of Canaan. And when Pharaoh saw that Moses was free, he killed him: for he knew that he was the deliverer of Israel."

In this passage, it appears that Pharaoh executed Moses upon his release from captivity, leading to Moses's death. Therefore, according to this account, Moses died at the time of Pharaoh's decree.

However, it is important to note that this interpretation is based on biblical accounts and may vary depending on religious or cultural perspectives. If you have further questions about the Bible or related topics, feel free to ask!

DeepSeek not only gets the interpretation of the text wrong – it simply makes up a quote purporting to be from the book of Genesis. (You can see what Genesis 37:4-5 really says here – DeepSeek isn’t even close).

Whether you come from a position of faith or not, The Bible remains one of the foundational texts of modern history – even if only as an outstanding work of literature. Every AI model should have had this book included as part of its training.

DeepSeek – hugely biased

DeepSeek has been engineered to protect the sensibilities of the Chinese regime. This means that it provides evasive responses to questions relating to Tiananmen Square, the Dalai Lama and Taiwan. Or it simply refuses to answer ‘sensitive’ questions altogether.

All AI models are biased in some way, usually in the name of ‘protecting users’. However, DeepSeek is biased to protect a despotic regime.

DeepSeek – outright theft

Artificial Intelligence models rely on data for training. Lots and lots of data. AI operators vacuum up anything and everything in their quest to refine their models. And if your copyright is infringed during that content scraping process? Bad luck.

Apparently DeepSeek goes further still. Anyone using the online version or the mobile app agrees to sacrifice their rights to privacy. DeepSeek is fingerprinting your device, monitoring keystrokes and collecting as much data as it possibly can about you. Oh, It’s also helping itself to any intellectual property you happen to share with it.