DeepSeek is a Chinese AI startup that has been in the news for its R1 model, touted to give performance at par with major AI platforms like ChatGPT but at much lower costs. However, apart from the hype and words of praise from a few quarters, there are a lot of substantive critiques about its capabilities, privacy policies, and operational ethics. In this paper, we explore why DeepSeek may not live up to the expectations that it has set for itself.
Performance Issues
The first point related to where DeepSeek lacks practical usage, having compared the bench results. Well, despite demonstrating great results for different tests, the real application has exposed quite a few drawbacks:
Lack of Coherence: Users have reported that DeepSeek is unable to maintain coherence in a chat over time, as each new interaction is treated as a fresh start rather than a continuation of a conversation. This may lead to repetitive or irrelevant responses that will diminish user experience.
Flaws in Reasoning: Although DeepSeek boasts advanced reasoning skills, it has been criticized for providing incorrect information regarding simple queries and often does not follow the instructions given, hence defeating the purpose of using the service for complicated questions.
Lack of Features: In comparison to established competitors, DeepSeek lacks several important features that have come to be expected by users of modern AI chatbots, making it less versatile in daily use.
Privacy and Ethical Concerns
A lot of eyebrows are raised regarding the privacy and ethics of DeepSeek. Some of the concerns include:
Censorship and bias: It's a huge concern as to how DeepSeek carries out censorship, especially regarding sensitive subjects aligned with the Chinese government. This further accused the model of issues with biased or politically favorable answers; these will skew information dissemination.
Transparency and Control: DeepSeek doesn't have a Terms of Service or a Privacy Policy, let alone clearly explain how it will handle user data. And the fact that one can't properly sign in with an external service-say, Google-further complicates trusting the site.
User Interface and Experience
DeepSeek's user interface has been another bone of contention:
UI Design: Critics say DeepSeek's UI is a straight lift from the mobile interface of ChatGPT without any notable innovation or user-friendly enhancement in place. This further does not help in establishing any unique identity or improving user interaction.
App Store Reception: DeepSeek has received rather few ratings in the App Store-a fact that speaks volumes about the lukewarm reception at best. It just hasn't taken off with a wide user base, nor has it pleased those who have tried it.
Market and Operational Concerns
Market Impact: Because of its Chinese ownership, there is skepticism over the actual impact DeepSeek has on the global AI market. Some posts on X even say that its applications are limited in the U.S. due to concerns about CCP control.
Operational Ethics: There have also been accusations of intellectual property theft, with some believing that DeepSeek's technology may not be entirely original, which could affect its credibility and legal standing.