Key Points
- Chinese state-linked accounts promoted DeepSeek’s AI as a challenge to U.S. tech dominance.
- DeepSeek’s launch coincided with a sharp decline in U.S. tech stocks, including Nvidia’s record $593 billion loss.
- DeepSeek’s AI assistant overtook ChatGPT in downloads on Apple’s App Store.
- The U.S. Commerce Department is investigating DeepSeek’s potential use of restricted U.S. chips.
According to a report by online analysis firm Graphika, Chinese state-linked social media accounts heavily promoted the launch of AI startup DeepSeek’s models last week, just days before the news contributed to a sharp decline in U.S. tech stocks.
The report highlights how Chinese diplomats, embassies, and state media amplified narratives portraying DeepSeek as a direct challenge to U.S. dominance in AI. This messaging was widely distributed on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and Chinese services like Toutiao and Weibo.
Graphika’s Chief Intelligence Officer, Jack Stubbs, stated that the coordinated effort demonstrates China’s ability to rapidly mobilize actors to shape global perceptions of its technological advancements. “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,” Stubbs added.
The report also found a video on YouTube featuring pro-China and anti-Western content linked to Shadow Play, a known influence campaign first identified by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in 2023. YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet, Meta, X, and the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to comments.
Graphika observed a small spike in discussions comparing DeepSeek’s AI to OpenAI’s ChatGPT on Jan. 20, shortly after DeepSeek released its models. However, the conversation surged significantly by the weekend. By Monday, DeepSeek’s free AI assistant had surpassed ChatGPT in downloads on Apple’s App Store, coinciding with a $593 billion loss in Nvidia’s market value—the largest single-day loss in Wall Street history.
DeepSeek’s researchers claim to have developed AI technology at a fraction of the cost of U.S. competitors, raising concerns about a potential price war. Meanwhile, the U.S. Commerce Department is investigating whether DeepSeek has used restricted American chips.
