Move over, ChatGPT! There's a new App Store champion and it's AI from China

More often than not, it's ChatGPT that people in the West think of when they think of artificial intelligence – and not some other AI platform or model.

AI is the buzzword these days. Naturally, the ChatGPT app is extremely popular both in Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store. Now, however, DeepSeek – an AI assistant from China – tops the App Store in the US, and it's the most popular app (for the moment) for iPhones. ChatGPT is at the second place in the rank that currently looks like this:



The app is powered by the DeepSeek-V3 model and has gained significant popularity among US users since its release on January 10, Reuters reports. The creators of DeepSeek-V3 claim that the model ranks among the top open-source models and competes with the most advanced closed-source models globally.

DeepSeek is growing fast, but will its influence challenge assumptions about US dominance in AI?

After all, AI models (including those from ChatGPT and DeepSeek), rely on high-performance chips for training. Since 2021, the Biden administration has expanded restrictions to prevent such chips from being exported to China and used in the development of AI models by local companies.

The "problem" is that DeepSeek researchers claim that their DeepSeek-V3 model was trained using Nvidia's H800 chips, with total costs reportedly under $6 million. While this claim has been met with some skepticism, the suggestion is clear. If less advanced chips and lower training costs could achieve results like these, what's the point of sanctions? Do export controls work?

DeepSeek is described as a relatively small startup based in Hangzhou, founded in 2023. That's the same year Baidu launched China's first large-language AI model. Since then, numerous Chinese tech companies have introduced their own AI models. DeepSeek, however, is the first to receive recognition from the US tech industry.

Personally, I like the name of it. Reminds me of Deep Thought, the supercomputer from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I just hope we don't get 42 for an answer when we ask the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything!