[A keyboard with black and white keys. Photo Credit to Pixabay]

DeepSeek R1, an advanced AI model, was released recently on January 20, 2025 and has been gaining considerable attention in the AI community while also raising numerous security concerns. 

The new model features advanced reasoning capabilities, training using pure reinforcement learning, and competes with other top AI models in terms of complex problem solving, particularly in mathematical reasoning. 

According to Exploding Topics, DeepSeek as a company itself was first founded in December of 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, who also co founded High-Flyer in 2016, which later became the foundation for DeepSeek. 

Currently, DeepSeek has approximately more than 10 million users worldwide. 

This user base can be compared with other AI programs such as ChatGPT but stands apart in its growth rate.

Exploding Topics claims that it took DeepSeek 14 days to reach 1 million users, while it took Chat GPT 5 days.

While ChatGPT achieved its initial milestone more quickly, DeepSeek has demonstrated faster growth overall.

According to these figures, while it took ChatGPT 40 days to reach 10 million users, it only took DeepSeek 20 days - half the time.

This growth demonstrates the immense amount of success DeekSeek has had in comparison to ChatGPT, which was one of the most avidly used AI platforms. 

This has raised numerous questions for the AI and technology community as to how much DeepSeek will grow over the next few months. 

However, with this increasing technological competition, DeepSeek raises numerous security concerns.

According to an article by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CISS), DeepSeek has several flaws such as in security, data management, privacy, and ethical priorities. 

For instance, DeepSeek lacks robust safety methods, which makes the platform vulnerable to exploitation or even potentially capable of generating malware and bypassing security systems.

DeepSeek’s user data is also stored in China and subject to PRC law, referring to the legal system that governs mainland China. 

This means that there could be cooperation between DeepSeek and Chinese intelligence agencies, raising further concerns for international users, especially in the United States. 

Some analyses suggest that, while Western AI companies prioritize security and ethical development, DeepSeek prioritizes speed and influence, which could be potentially driven by the Chinese Communist Party. 

DeepSeek has had an extensive impact globally so far, with its open-source commitment and efficient utilization of its resources, along with being a major competition for AI tech companies. 

Tech Informed, a technology-focused news agency, predicts the AI market to reach US$243.72 billion in 2025. 

The future of DeepSeek is very unclear at this moment, however, DeekSeek’s rapid growth and competitive positioning suggest it could play a major role in the future AI community.