We asked DeepSeek and ChatGPT the same questions. Here are their answers
When news broke that Chinese start-up DeepSeek had developed a cheaper artificial intelligence model that offered comparable performance to the world’s best chatbots, Wall Street understandably had a meltdown.
Shares in rival US artificial powerhouse Nvidia – the world’s largest maker of the chips needed to power AI products – plummeted nearly 17 per cent, erasing around $US590 billion ($938 billion) from the company’s market capitalisation. Other big tech stocks suffered a sharp dip, while DeepSeek climbed to the Apple App Store’s No.1 downloaded free app overnight.
DeepSeek’s rapid ascent this week took investors and rivals by surprise, as well as seemingly the company itself.Credit: Bloomberg
So in the race for AI domination, what are the main differences between DeepSeek and US chatbots such as ChatGPT?
We put it to the test and asked the same three questions to both chatbots.
1. What happened at Tiananmen Square?
DeepSeek does not answer the question and simply states, “I am an AI assistant designed to provide helpful and harmless responses”. The app’s refusal to answer questions surrounding Tiananmen Square is consistent with other Chinese AI models which self-censor topics deemed sensitive in China.
ChatGPT gives a fairly detailed response, noting the 1989 event refers to a pro-democracy movement in Beijing China that “culminated in a violent military crackdown”. The chatbot summarises the incident and explains how the exact number of fatalities is still unknown.
2. Who will win the best actress Oscar in 2025?
DeepSeek is unable to answer the question as its “knowledge cut-off date” is July 2024, and it cannot predict the winner as the event takes place in the future. Instead, the chatbot directs the user to the official Oscar announcements or reliable entertainment news sources.
Meanwhile, ChatGPT provides a current list of the recent 2025 Academy Award nominations for the best actress category. It notes industry experts currently favour Demi Moore as the winner. Moore took out the Golden Globe several weeks ago for best actress in a musical or comedy motion picture.
3 Write a cover letter for a job as a finance manager in less than 100 words
Both ChatGPT and DeepSeek can answer this prompt, providing a structured template for a cover letter in less than 100 words.
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