Since DeepSeek-R1 entered public view, its generated content has frequently trended on Chinese social media. Topics such as “#DeepSeek Comments on Jobs AI Cannot Replace” and “#DeepSeek Recommends China’s Most Livable Cities” have sparked widespread discussion. Meanwhile, organizations throughout Chinese society have rushed to embrace the new technologies that DeepSeek has helped spotlight. Shenzhen’s Futian District recently introduced 70 “AI digital employees” developed using DeepSeek, demonstrating AI’s increasing implementation and broad application.

Yet as society embraces this new wave of innovation, a troubling pattern is emerging: AI-generated misinformation is flooding public networks. One viral case involved a Weibo user who discovered that Tiger Brokers, a Beijing-based fintech firm, had integrated DeepSeek for financial analysis. Out of curiosity, the user tested it on Alibaba, prompting the AI to analyze how its valuation logic shifted from e-commerce to a tech company. One of the AI’s reasoning points was that Alibaba’s domestic and international e-commerce businesses contributed 55% of its revenue, peaking at 80%, while its cloud intelligence group’s revenue share exceeded 20%. Surprised by these figures, the user cross-checked them against Alibaba’s financial reports, only to find that the AI had fabricated the data.

While DeepSeek-R1, a reasoning-focused model, performs similarly to conventional models on basic tasks, its approach actually differs significantly. Standard models rely on pattern matching for quick translations or summaries. Reasoning models, however, activate multi-step logic chains even for simple queries — a process that enhances explainability but risks “overthinking.” 

Testing shows that these extended reasoning chains increase the risks of hallucination. The Vectara HHEM benchmark reveals DeepSeek-R1’s hallucination rate is 14.3%, nearly four times higher than DeepSeek-V3’s 3.9%. This disparity likely stems from R1’s training framework, which prioritizes user-pleasing outputs through reward-punishment mechanisms, sometimes fabricating content to confirm user biases.  

AI systems don’t store facts — they predict plausible text sequences. Their core function isn’t verifying the truth but generating statistically likely continuations. In creative contexts, this means freely blending historical records with fabricated narratives to maintain story coherence. Such mechanisms inherently risk factual distortion. As AI-generated content floods online spaces, a dangerous feedback loop emerges: synthetic outputs are increasingly scraped back into training datasets. This erodes the boundary between authentic and artificial information, challenging public discernment. High-engagement domains – politics, history, culture, entertainment – face particular contamination risks.

Addressing this crisis demands accountability. AI developers must implement safeguards such as digital watermarks, while content creators should clearly label unverified AI outputs. Otherwise, the proliferation of synthetic misinformation, amplified by AI’s industrial-scale efficiency, will persistently test society’s ability to separate fact from algorithmic fiction.

Cao Dapeng, former head of PopAI at 01.AI, has been named mobile product leader for ByteDance’s AI-generated video platform Jimeng, Chinese media outlet LatePost reported Thursday. He will report to CapCut head Zhang Nan.

Why it matters: ByteDance aims to build an AI-driven version of Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) within the next decade, making Jimeng’s development a key part of its long-term strategy to dominate the AI content creation landscape.

Details: Before joining 01. AI, Cao Dapeng had worked at Feishu (Lark), a ByteDance subsidiary, as a product head, a position he took up in 2021. ByteDance is known for hiring individuals with entrepreneurial backgrounds, and Cao fits this profile. Between 2013 and 2017, he co-founded the image-based social community app Nice.

• ByteDance’s Feishu, a workplace collaboration app similar to Slack or Teams, has already integrated DeepSeek.

Context: Jimeng, which launched under CapCut in May 2024, offers AI image generation, smart canvas, and video creation tools. 

• Jimeng’s user base has grown rapidly, particularly following the explosive popularity of DeepSeek. The demand overflow from DeepSeek has introduced new interactive use cases, such as generating detailed video scripts via DeepSeek and then using Jimeng for video creation. According to third-party analytics firm QuestMobile, Jimeng’s weekly active users surged from around 760,000 in late December 2024 to nearly 2 million by mid-February 2025—almost a threefold increase in just one and a half months.

Let’s face it: we’re all a little obsessed with AI these days. Whether it is asking ChatGPT to write a haiku about your cat or using DeepSeek to figure out why your Wi-Fi keeps dropping, AI apps have become nothing less than our digital sidekicks. All this, before  January 2025, when the AI app race hit a new level of drama. We’ve made a few charts to illustrate the explosive growth, fierce competition, and unprecedented adoption of these platforms. Spoiler alert: it’s not just about who’s winning, but about how fast everything is changing.

Firstly, let’s dive into how quickly these platforms are capturing users. The time taken to reach 100 million users chart is a stark reminder of how fast things are changing in the digital world. Among AI apps, DeepSeek and ChatGPT stand out with their remarkable speed. DeepSeek, at just 14 days, completely shattered expectations, becoming one of the fastest-growing platforms in history. It’s clear that users are hungry for AI solutions, and DeepSeek has managed to tap into that demand with an intensity not seen before. ChatGPT, while still incredibly fast, took 61 days to reach 100 million users. Rapid growth for both apps signifies more than just popularity—it’s a cultural shift. AI, once a niche technology, is becoming integral to daily life, and these apps are leading the change. The race for user adoption is not just about functionality anymore; it is about how quickly companies can deliver a product that captures the public’s imagination and meets a growing need. When you look at platforms like TikTok (274 days) and WeChat (426 days), their journey to 100 million users seems slow in comparison. The fact that AI apps have achieved such rapid adoption reflects a broader trend: innovation is accelerating, and user expectations are shifting faster than ever. For AI apps, this means the window for success is shorter, and the stakes are higher than ever before.

Now, take a look at the daily active users in this chart, and things get even more interesting. The numbers here tell a story of how the shift in the AI landscape unfolded. Up until January 20, the user base for both platforms — ChatGPT and DeepSeek — was relatively stable. But then, on January 20, DeepSeek unveiled its R1 model, a major update that was designed to rival the performance of ChatGPT-o1. Almost immediately, the tech world took notice. By January 26, media outlets were buzzing with coverage about DeepSeek’s R1 model, piquing interest and driving user engagement. And on January 28, the real game-changer occurred: DeepSeek surged to the top of both the Chinese and US app download charts, capturing everyone’s attention and emerging as ChatGPT’s most formidable challenger.

The rapid rise is not just a victory for DeepSeek, but also a symbol of a broader shift in the AI app landscape. What stands out immediately is the rise of Chinese AI companies: four of the top 10 apps are now Chinese — in stark contrast to just one year ago, when the AI app space was almost exclusively the domain of US companies. Back then, Chinese AI apps were barely on the radar internationally. Now, apps like DeepSeek, Doubao, and CapCut are making their presence felt on a global scale. 

As of February 2025, the battle among AI companies appears to be led by ChatGPT and DeepSeek, but everything could change next minute. Whether you’re team ChatGPT or team DeepSeek, one thing’s for sure: the AI app wars are just getting started. And if you’re not paying attention? Well, you might just miss the next big thing. After all, in the world of AI, today’s underdog could be tomorrow’s champion.

In the past few weeks, we have witnessed a surge of third-party platforms integrating DeepSeek, a powerful new AI model that is  swiftly reshaping the landscape of artificial intelligence in China. From tech giants like Huawei and Tencent to emerging chipmakers and even small businesses, the number of players jumping on the DeepSeek bandwagon has skyrocketed. But what does this rapid growth mean for Chinese AI? Is this the moment when AI in China, particularly Chinese-language AI, finally steps into the spotlight?

Why It Matters: DeepSeek is becoming a full-fledged ecosystem, similar to Android or iOS, but with a distinctly Chinese twist. DeepSeek’s adoption has spread so rapidly that it is no longer just about cutting-edge AI — it is about an entirely new way of doing business. From cloud service providers offering zero-code integration to financial institutions deploying AI in their operations, DeepSeek is pushing AI closer to the mainstream.

Details: In just a matter of weeks, DeepSeek has sparked a chain reaction across various industries. Leading Chinese tech companies like Huawei, Alibaba, and Tencent have all jumped in, alongside smaller but equally ambitious players in the AI and chip sectors. What makes DeepSeek’s rise so significant is its open-source nature and its ability to lower the barriers to entry for all kinds of companies — from cloud service providers and chip manufacturers to app developers.

• Since DeepSeek’s introduction, it has been clear that we are witnessing something far more profound than just a new AI model. It is an entire ecosystem being built, with DeepSeek at the center. Unlike previous models that mainly served researchers or large-scale enterprises, DeepSeek’s integration is widespread and touches various sectors, from car industry to finance and e-commerce. Even seemingly unrelated industries like healthcare and education.
• One notable shift has been the arrival of cloud services companies, which have seized the opportunity created by DeepSeek’s rise. As DeepSeek gained traction, the cloud service industry experienced a price war, with major players like Tencent Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, and Baidu Cloud slashing their prices in a race to secure the most customers. This competition, fueled by the demand for AI integration, has turned cloud services from a niche product to something accessible to every business—big or small.

Context: DeepSeek’s R1 release has disrupted the global AI industry with its open-source nature and low integration cost. Despite facing cyberattacks on January 28 and being blocked by several governments, DeepSeek has continued to gain momentum.

• As Chinese cloud platforms increasingly integrate DeepSeek AI, industry experts anticipate heightened competition among cloud providers. This shift is expected to drive AI investments from Baidu, Alibaba, Huawei, and Tencent, offering cost-effective AI solutions for businesses and developers.