LOS ANGELES — DeepSeek, a technology startup from China, reported on Monday that it experienced a cyber attack that affected the ability of users to register on its platform.
The company, known for its groundbreaking artificial intelligence chatbot that has generated significant interest in the tech community, announced it faced “large-scale malicious attacks” disrupting certain services. However, those already registered could still access their accounts without issues.
DeepSeek gained notable traction in the artificial intelligence sector last month after unveiling a new AI model, claiming its capabilities rival those of similar systems developed by leading U.S. firms such as OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Furthermore, the company emphasized that its approach was more economical regarding the utilization of costly Nvidia chips necessary for training the model with extensive datasets.
The chatbot’s popularity skyrocketed when it became available on Apple’s and Google’s app stores at the beginning of this year. As of Monday, DeepSeek’s AI assistant topped the charts as the most downloaded free application on the Apple iPhone store. This surge in downloads has sparked discussions regarding the competitive landscape between the United States and China, particularly in the realm of AI technology development.
Some analysts within the U.S. tech industry expressed concerns over the possibility that this Chinese startup has matched American tech giants’ advancements in generative AI while operating at a significantly lower cost.
Founded in Hangzhou, China, in 2023, DeepSeek launched its first large language model the same year, marking its entry into the AI field. The company’s rapid ascent has not only caught the attention of technology enthusiasts but also raised important questions about the future dynamics of AI innovation globally.
