DeepSeek: What It Is, How It Works, and Its Features

We explain in detail what DeepSeek is and why this artificial intelligence from China is gaining attention. We also discuss its functionality and possibilities.

DeepSeek is the name of a Chinese company specializing in artificial intelligence. It is also the name of its AI chatbot, a proprietary alternative to Copilot, Gemini, Chat GPT and others. Therefore, you may hear and read mentions of DeepSeek referring to both.

In this article, we will focus on the artificial intelligence chatbot, which is a Large Language Model (LLM), created to assist with software development, natural language processing, and business automation.

DeepSeek stands out for being open-source. This means anyone can see how it works internally, making it transparent and accessible. Developers or researchers can download it from GitHub and modify it for many scenarios, including commercial ones.

Moreover, the fact that it is available and open-source also means that anyone can download it and run it on their own computer. It may run slower, but everything you write and interact with stays on your device. This contrasts with the secrecy and limited freedom of some private models.

Another key feature of DeepSeek is that its native chatbot, available on its official website, is completely free and does not require a subscription to use its most advanced model. Furthermore, you can use DeepSeek in other languages just by speaking to it in this language.

Compared to ChatGPT, when asked the same questions, DeepSeek can be a bit more concise, getting straight to the point. However, it has the same flexibility as other models, and you can ask it to explain things more extensively or tailor them to your needs.

Two Leading AI Models

DeepSeek has made headlines with two specific AI models.

V3 Model

The DeepSeek V3 model surpasses most AIs, even beating some proprietary models. In programming tests, this model managed to surpass Llama 3.1 405B, GPT-4o, and Qwen 2.5 72B. The model only required 2.788 million training hours and reportedly cost $5.5 million to train, though some analysts indicate the real figure is unknown.

What stands out is the internal usage cost related to tokens. The price for 1 million tokens for the reasoner model is $0.55, much cheaper than OpenAI’s Model 01 at $15.

R1 Model

The R1 model excels in reasoning and has demonstrated performance comparable to or even surpassing OpenAI's most advanced models in key mathematics and programming tests. This marks a significant milestone, as it is the first time a Chinese open-source model has reached the level of Western leaders, contributing to a more diverse and competitive AI landscape.

The R1 model cost between 90% and 95% less to develop than its competitors and has 671 billion parameters. In MATH-500 mathematics tests, it achieved a 97.3% accuracy compared to OpenAI's 96.4%.

However, it is worth noting the potential censorship of the model. DeepSeek's chatbot, like Gemini or ChatGPT, is subject to the values of the country where it was developed. However, this censorship is limited to the online chatbot. If you run the model on your own computer, you won't have these limitations.

How DeepSeek Works

DeepSeek was developed using pure reinforcement learning without pre-labeled data. This was previously considered impossible and opens new doors to training such systems.

This reinforcement learning allows the model to learn on its own through trial and error. After this training, DeepSeek refined the model by combining it with supervised training to create the final R1 version, adding consistency and refinement.

For the user, its functionality is similar to other models. You have a home screen with a text input field and several operating options. DeepSeek analyzes the words in your question to find results and can search its training database or the Internet.

What You Can Do with DeepSeek

With this AI model, you can do practically the same as with other models. You can ask it questions, and it will respond in real time. It can explain complex topics, extract key information from documents, and assist with programming by writing or debugging code. Content creators can ask it to generate ideas, texts, poetry, or article templates.

In the prompt input box, there are buttons for attaching files, using the DeepThink R1 button for reasoned responses, and the Search button to search the Internet with source references.

Each response includes options to copy the text, rate the response quality, and regenerate the response from scratch based on the same prompt.

Warning: While DeepSeek offers powerful capabilities, it is recommended to use it cautiously. If you plan to install and run it locally, ensure you have the necessary technical knowledge to avoid unintentionally exposing private information.