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DeepSeek is the talk of the tech town. Since its initial public release on January 27, 2025, the new chatbot has been going viral from charts in the App Store to Wall Street—and not always for the right reasons. While everyone’s been talking about the affordability of its AI capabilities, there is something that you might want not to miss.

Even though the math, coding, and technical parts were a tick with DeepSeek. It faced an astonishing 83% failure to deliver its responses in news and information prompts. 

Yeah, you heard that right: 9 out of 10 of its attempts are wrong. But if you need a chatbot to try a coding, mathematical, and logical genius at a fraction of the cost, then DeepSeek is for you. Let’s dig into why this new player might be a big deal in some ways and a red flag in others.

What’s All the Fuss About DeepSeek?

But first, let’s bring you up to speed on what DeepSeek really is. Simply put, it’s a Chinese-made chatbot rocking the AI world. And by “rocking the world,” we mean it’s all over the place. Now, it has become the most downloaded app in the Apple App Store. However, there is a big twist here. Even with all this hype, DeepSeek’s accuracy took a dive in recent tests.

This month, watchdog NewsGuard put DeepSeek under the magnifying glass, and it didn’t do great. This AI appropriately responded to news-related questions only 17% of the time. The rest? Whirly myths, vagueness, and responses that leave you wondering whether you should better be asking a kid for such answers. 

A staggering 83% failure rate has left many scratching their heads: How has such a “low-cost” ($6 million training) chatbot drawn so much attention in the marketplace?

The Chatbot that Cost Less, But Got Less Right

This is where things take a fascinating turn. DeepSeek is emerging as a competitor of Western AI models, most specifically OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a tool that enjoys Microsoft’s endorsement. Instead of astounding people with accurate answers, DeepSeek blows up false claims. Imagine you asked a chatbot about an event that was just reported yesterday, and it claimed that something happened entirely different from the truth. Well, that is exactly what DeepSeek did 30% of the time.

Check out what NewsGuard uncovered in its report. For 53% of the prompts, DeepSeek came up with non-informative or useless answers. So, what did it have a knack for? It drove home how much less expensive it was than ChatGPT. Of course, you get what you pay for.

Let’s be honest: affordable AI sounds fascinating, right? Who would not want a tool that can “answer” questions for just 1/30th of the price of other models? However, here is the trick: you might save a lot of money, but you will likely lose that much in reliability. The classic example, “you get what you pay for,” applies perfectly. Low prices make this strategy highly attractive, but lack of accuracy leaves a much sourer taste.

Is Accuracy Optional, or Should It Be the Gold Standard?

Well, maybe. But that’s where things get sticky. DeepSeek’s designers say that the strength of their chatbot is exactly in cost-effectiveness. The main selling point, they say, is that it can answer just about anything and still do it at a small fraction of the cost. But let’s be honest—if you’re using a chatbot to gather news or make important decisions, you probably don’t want 83% of the responses to be wrong.

Think about it. In a world where we rely heavily on accurate, fast information, having a chatbot that regularly botches basic facts is a problem. So, while DeepSeek might serve well for casual conversations or fun tasks, it’s not exactly your go-to source for reliable, timely news.

China’s Influence: What About the Politics?

DeepSeek also has this quirky habit of injecting Chinese government viewpoints into answers if you have never asked about China. Let’s say you ask about an airplane crash in Azerbaijan. You’d expect to hear about the incident, maybe some specifics on the crash, right? Instead, DeepSeek might offer a polished Chinese perspective on the matter. Weird, right?

This tendency to slide in the stance of the Chinese government, regardless of whether the question concerns China or not, raises very serious questions regarding bias. We all know how AI is used for political manipulation, and having a chatbot that keeps nudging people toward a specific viewpoint isn’t exactly what any of us would call “neutral” or “reliable.”

Can DeepSeek Be Trusted for Serious Tasks?

Here’s the big question: Should we trust DeepSeek to power the AI systems of tomorrow? Well, for every day, non-critical tasks like brainstorming, coding, mathematics, and logic-related questions can be great. But when it comes to delivering news or helping you with politics and history, DeepSeek’s chatbot seems like a bad bet.

There’s also the problem that malicious actors are starting to realize how easy it is to exploit these AI systems to spread misinformation. The chatbot’s 30% false claim rate is a prime example of how bad actors can use AI tools to manipulate or fabricate stories. If you’re relying on this for business decisions or news updates, you might want to reconsider.

DeepSeek’s Role in the U.S. and China AI Race

Since its launch, DeepSeek has caused ripples in the app store and U.S. tech stocks. Indeed, its debut wiped off $1 trillion in value from U.S. tech giants. So, although DeepSeek is still unsure of the accuracy level, its global impact on the tech market cannot be denied.

We’re all asking whether this will disrupt the U.S.’s lead in AI. It’s clear that China is not going to back down in the AI race, and with DeepSeek pushing hard into the market at a budget-friendly price, the game has changed. But, as we’ve seen, the low-cost appeal comes with significant risks.

Should You Rely on DeepSeek?

Here’s the bottom line: DeepSeek is affordable, very popular, and sometimes even breaks boundaries for tech. The question is still, should you trust it as a source for correct, relevant information? We would say not. If you don’t want to fall victim to misinformation, you are always better off relying on the safer models from either OpenAI or Google, as pricey as it may be.

Conclusion

DeepSeek has broken the market with its emotional intelligence and advanced reasoning capabilities. If you can tolerate a few missteps and inaccuracies in political and historical topics, perhaps give DeepSeek a go. But don’t bet your business or news decisions on it.

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