DeepSeek AI Surpasses ChatGPT in App Store, Briefly Shuts Down New User Registrations

DeepSeek’s AI Assistant became the most downloaded free app in the U.S. in Apple’s App Store on Jan. 27, taking away ChatGPT’s No. 1 spot. The China-based AI startup firm began attracting attention earlier this month with its R1 reasoning model, which seems to meet OpenAI’s latest o1 model capabilities.

The R1 model was launched on Jan. 20, just a few months after OpenAI’s o1, which can follow a chain of thought and has near human-level intelligence. Since DeepSeek’s R1 is open source, any AI developer can utilize it.

Purportedly, DeepSeek’s AI R1 model not only technologically competes head-to-head with OpenAI, it is said to be just as powerful as Meta’s most advanced Llama models. According to The Information, Meta created a research group specifically to study how DeepSeek trained its AI.

While the U.S. has actively discouraged AI chip exports to China, DeepSeek reportedly used NVIDIA chips, nonetheless. It’s only speculation, and admitting to using American-made chips would violate export laws prohibiting the sale to Chinese companies.

“Rather than weakening China’s AI capabilities, the sanctions appear to be driving startups like DeepSeek to innovate in ways that prioritize efficiency, resource-pooling, and collaboration,” wrote the MIT Technology Review. 

DeepSeek’s ‘Malicious Attacks’

After taking over the top spot in the app store, DeepSeek was hit with “large-scale malicious attacks” and began limiting new user registrations. However, the only explanation frustrated users got from the app’s website was a message that said the server was busy and they could try to register again later.

“Existing users can log in as usual,” the company wrote, per The Verge. “Thanks for your understanding and support.” 

Despite the message, some current users reported that they were denied access when attempting to log in. Without giving details, the company did get the issues resolved earlier today.

Similar to concerns related to TikTok’s collection of data, leading to the app’s ban in the U.S., some fear DeepSeek is sharing information with the Chinese government. Being an open-source and popular AI app, both U.S. companies and everyday users are exposing potentially personal information to the chatbot, which can be used in a variety of ways without express consent.

DeepSeek, founded by Chinese entrepreneur Liang Wenfeng in 2023, is funded by hedge fund High-Flyer. The company’s initial AI product was used for coding tasks and was touted for its low costs. To remain competitive, other Chinese developers reduced costs as well, beginning an AI arms race that is forcing the U.S. to try and keep up.