DeepSeek, a Chinese AI chatbot, is gaining global attention for its efficiency and lower cost than its Western competitors, especially ChatGPT. However, the technology has also raised concerns about privacy and information security among Western authorities and experts, including in Australia.
On January 28, Australian Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic issued a warning about the use of DeepSeek, urging people to think carefully before downloading the app. In an interview with ABC, he said: "I think people will be attracted to this technology, but they also need to be very careful."
Minister Husic also compared DeepSeek to the controversy surrounding TikTok, predicting that similar concerns could arise with the chatbot.
DeepSeek recently released its large language model (LLM) DeepSeek-R1 on January 20. With a completely open-source and free platform, users can run it directly on personal hardware without any restrictions. Meanwhile, ChatGPT requires users to pay up to $200 per month for premium services and operates on a closed-source platform.
DeepSeek is backed by Chinese investment fund High-Flyer, and its advanced features are raising alarms in the Western tech community. Some analysts say DeepSeek's rapid growth could be a warning about growing competition in the global artificial intelligence sector.
Despite its high performance and cost, DeepSeek's popularity also comes with potential risks. "I would be very cautious about using this application," Minister Husic stressed.
