In 2025, a quiet revolution began in the world of artificial intelligence—and it didn’t start in Silicon Valley. It came from China, where a team of researchers launched DeepSeek R1, a large language model that in just a few months managed to challenge the dominance of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Despite being built with a fraction of the resources—reportedly around $5.6 million and two months of training—DeepSeek stunned the tech world by becoming the #1 free app in the U.S. Apple App Store. That alone says something. But the deeper story is even more intriguing. Perhaps you learn Chinese online or with an online Chinese teacher, you surely have come across related information at once!
So, what exactly is DeepSeek? And why are people suddenly calling it the “Chinese ChatGPT”? The answer lies in both technology and timing. DeepSeek uses a “Mixture-of-Experts” (MoE) model, which activates only parts of the neural network depending on the input. This means less computing power is used per query without sacrificing quality. This structure—alongside something called Multi-head Latent Attention (MLA)—lets DeepSeek perform complex reasoning and math with impressive speed and accuracy. For context, DeepSeek scored over 90% on logic-heavy benchmarks, outpacing even GPT-4 in some categories.
But beyond technical specs, DeepSeek’s biggest headline may be its accessibility. It’s fully open-source and MIT-licensed, meaning anyone can use, adapt, and build on it. That’s a radical contrast to ChatGPT, which remains locked behind proprietary code and paid APIs. For developers, educators, and businesses—especially those outside the U.S.—this is a game-changer. Imagine being able to deploy your own local version of an advanced chatbot without cloud fees or usage restrictions. That’s exactly what DeepSeek enables. Now, let’s not rush to crown DeepSeek the winner just yet. OpenAI’s ChatGPT still leads in certain areas: natural conversation, creative writing, image generation, and multimodal interaction. It also has stronger guardrails when it comes to handling sensitive or controversial topics—an area where DeepSeek, shaped by Chinese content moderation rules, tends to sidestep entirely. That makes sense given its origin, but it could limit how it’s used internationally.
Yet, the AI world is watching because DeepSeek has already disrupted more than user expectations. When it launched, Nvidia’s stock dropped sharply, showing how much market confidence shifted simply from the idea that cheaper, faster AI might become the new norm. Some Chinese media even described DeepSeek as a “Sputnik moment” for AI—one that proved a lean, efficient team could compete on a global level.
For now, the field is wide open. Language schools such as GoEast Mandarin dwell on topics related to OpenAI, and discussing how it is already working on future iterations of ChatGPT. Integrating such topics into classes should be indespensable due to its importance, actually, there have been some rumors even that new models include far more robust reasoning and better real-world awareness. But the challenge posed by DeepSeek, and by extension other Chinese firms like Baidu’s ERNIE Bot, is clear: the AI race is no longer a one-country game.
In fact, we’re entering an era where the landscape will likely be shaped by a mix of open and closed models, global and regional players, and apps tailored for local needs and languages. DeepSeek might not be for everyone—but its rise has already pushed the entire field forward. That alone is worth paying attention to.
