Beijing boosts DeepSeek's AI launch, challenges U.S. tech
According to the analysis firm Graphika, Chinese social media accounts linked to the government in Beijing supported the launch of DeepSeek's chatbot, as reported by Reuters on Friday. Among these accounts were profiles belonging to diplomats, media outlets, and state institutions.
The accounts promoted the actions of the DeepSeek company, "amplified media coverage of the launch and promoted the idea that DeepSeek challenged U.S. dominance in the AI sector," the agency noted.
Beijing's support for an important launch
This message was disseminated on platforms like X, Facebook, and Instagram, as well as on Chinese services such as Toutiao and Weibo.
"This activity shows how China is able to quickly mobilize a range of actors that seed and amplify online narratives casting Beijing as surpassing the U.S. in critical areas of geopolitical competition, including the race to develop and deploy the most advanced AI technologies," Jack Stubbs, an analyst at Graphika, told Reuters.
"We've consistently seen overt and covert Chinese state-linked actors among the first movers in leveraging AI to scale their operations in the information environment," he added.
Companies like Alphabet, Meta, X, and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comments on the report cited by Reuters.
Graphika is an American company specializing in analyzing internet traffic, particularly studying disinformation online.
Who is behind the Chinese startup related to AI?
On Monday (January 27), there were sharp declines in the shares of technology companies related to AI on Wall Street. The reason was the news about a new artificial intelligence model developed by the Chinese startup DeepSeek. It caused concern among investors, as its creators claim it was developed for a fraction of the costs incurred by Silicon Valley.
The media admits that little is known about the creator of DeepSeek. The company was founded in December 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, who graduated from Zhejiang University with degrees in electronic information engineering and computer science.
"He was recently seen at a meeting hosted by China's premier Li Qiang, reflecting DeepSeek's growing prominence in the AI industry," writes the BBC.
Wenfeng has a background in finance. He is the CEO of a hedge fund named High-Flyer, which uses artificial intelligence to analyze financial data for making investment decisions. In 2019, High-Flyer became the first hedge fund in China to raise over 100 billion yuan (approximately 20 billion Canadian dollars).
