Every night, before going to sleep, Holly Wang accesses DeepSeek to do “therapy sessions.”
Since January, when the Chinese application of artificial intelligence has been launched, 28 -year -old Holly has shared her dilemmas and lamentations, including her grandmother’s recent death with Chatbot. His answers resonated so deeply that they even took her to tears.
“O DeepSeek It has been an amazing therapist. He helped me see things from different perspectives, and does a better job than the paid therapy services I tried, ”says Holly, who asked her real name not to be released to protect her privacy.
From writing Excel reports and formulas to planning travel, exercise and learning new skills, artificial intelligence applications have entered the lives of many people around the world.
In China, however, young people like Holly have sought artificial intelligence for something that is usually not expected of computing and algorithms: emotional support.
Although Deepseek’s success was a Source of national prideChatbot also seems to have become a source of comfort for young Chinese like Holly, some of which are increasingly disappointed about the future.
Experts claim that Economy stagnationthe high unemployment rate and the confinements imposed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic played an important role in this feeling, while the increasing social control of the Communist Party has also reduced opportunities for people to express their frustrations.
Deepseek is a general artificial intelligence tool – similar to OpenAi’s chatgpt, and Google’s Gemini – trained from large amounts of information to recognize patterns. This allows him to predict things like someone’s consumption habits, create new text content and images, and also keep conversations as a person.
Chatbot impacted China, in part because it is much better than other artificial intelligence applications developed in the country, but also because it offers something unique: its AI model, R1, allows users to see its “thought process”Before giving an answer. AI also generated a large fury in the international technology market.
Experts say that although they can help people are heard, AI is not able to provide adequate care for those who need psychological counseling.
“Those who have medical needs, in particular, should seek help from trained professionals… the use of AI will have to be examined very carefully“, Says Nan Jia, professor at the University of Southern California, USA.
Deepseek, my friend
The first time he used Deepseek, Holly asked him Write a tribute to your late grandmother.
The application took only five seconds to answer, and the answer was so well elaborated that she was surprised.
Holly, who lives in Guangzhou, replied: “You write so well that you make me feel lost. I think I’m in an existential crisis. ”
Deepseek then sent a enigmatic and poetic response“Remember that all these words that make you tremble are only echoes of those that have been in your soul for a long time.”
“I am just the eventual valley that it has gone through, which allows you to hear the weight of your own voice.”
Holly told BBC through the application of Chinese Rednot social network that the messages played her deeply.
“I don’t know why I cried when reading this. Perhaps because it has long, a long time ago, that I don’t get so much comfort in real life, ”he said.
“I was so oppressed by distant dreams and the infinity of work that I had forgotten my own voice and soul for a long time. Thank you, I was. ”
Rival applications of the West, such as ChatgPT and Gemini, are blocked in China as part of broader restrictions on foreign media and applications. To access them, users in China need to pay for private virtual network services (VPN).
National alternatives, including models developed by the giants of Alibaba, Baidu and Bytedance technology, were insignificant compared to competitors – until the emergence of Deepseek.
Holly, who works in the creative industry, rarely uses other Chinese applications of artificial intelligence, “ They are not so good“.
“Deepseek can definitely overcome these applications in generating literary and creative content,” he says.
Deepseek, my therapist
Nan Jia, co-author of an article on the potential of artificial intelligence to offer emotional support, suggests that these chatbots can “help people feel heard” in ways other human beings may not be capable.
“Friends and family can be quick to offer practical solutions or advice when, in fact, people just want to feel heard and understood.”
“AI seems to be most capable of creating What human experts, also because “listens” to everything we share, unlike human beings, who sometimes we ask, ‘Are you really listening to me? ” southern California, USA.
The demand for mental health services has grown worldwide, but they remain stigmatized in parts of Asia, according to experts.
There is a “significant scarcity”Professional psychological support services in China, and those available are often“ prohibitively expensive ”for most people, says Fang Kecheng, professor of communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Several studies show that depression and anxiety disorders are increasing among the Chinese, and Fang believes that the country’s economic slowdown, high unemployment rate and confinements imposed as a result of Covid-19 pandemic played.
AI chatbots therefore help the Fill this gap.
Nan emphasizes, however, that people with serious mental health problems should not rely on these applications.
Questions that are not asked: censorship and security
But amid all the compliments, DeepSeek also raised concerns.
Due to the perception of power that the government of China has even about private companies, there are fears – similar to those who have caused the US Congress to repression to Tiktok – that the Communist Party may have access to data of foreign users.
At least four jurisdictions already introduced restrictions on DeepSeek or they are considering doing this. South Korea blocked access to the platform for military purposes, while Taiwan and Australia banned all government devices.
Italy, which prohibits ChatgPT, did the same with DeepSeek.
In the US, two legislators are asking Chinese application to be banned from government devices.
And there is still the rigidly controlled online space in which it should operate in China.
It is common for social network companies in the country to remove content considered threatening to “social stability” or excessively critical to the Communist Party.
As with other popular applications and social network companies, such as Weibo or Wechat, politically sensitive themes are prohibited in Deepseek.
When the BBC asked DeepSeek if Taiwan was a sovereign nation, the application initially offered a comprehensive response detailing the different perspectives of Taipei and Beijing, recognizing that this is a “complex and politically sensitive question.”
Then he erases it all, and states: “Sorry, this is beyond my current scope. Let’s talk about something else. ”
When asked about the Heavenly Peace Square massacre in 1989, when pro-democracy protests were repressed and 200 civilians were killed by the military, according to the Chinese government-other estimates vary from hundreds to thousands-DeepSeek again apologized to themselves. , saying that the theme is “beyond [seu] current scope ”.
Several Deepseek users with whom the BBC initially came into contact stopped responding When asked if the application self -censorship was a matter of concern – an indication of how sensitive these discussions can be in China.
People have had problems with Chinese authorities because of their online activities.
But most of those who responded to the BBC said they had no interest in doing difficult political questions ao chatbot.
“I really don’t care about political themes… I won’t even ask these questions because mine [dados de identificação] They are linked to the application, ”says Yang, a Chinese technology consultant who lives in London.
Holly accepts the fact that artificial intelligence systems in different countries may have to operate differently.
“Developers will have to establish certain limits and content moderation policies according to where they are based. Those who are developed in the US will have their own sets of rules, ”he says.
Another Deepseek user wrote about the application: “Your thought process is beautiful… It is an absolute blessing For people like me. Frankly, I don’t give a damn about privacy concerns. ”
