✅ What you'll learn
- DeepSeek-R1 launched in January 2025 and caused US technology stocks to fall significantly, as investors worried that cheaper AI was possible than previously assumed.
- DeepSeek is open source — its model weights can be downloaded and run locally, unlike ChatGPT or Claude.
- DeepSeek performed at or above GPT-4 level on several coding and maths benchmarks, at a reported training cost dramatically lower than comparable Western models.
- Several countries (Australia, Italy, Taiwan) and organisations restricted or discouraged DeepSeek use for government and sensitive work due to data privacy concerns.
💡 Perfect if you're thinking...
DeepSeek is a Chinese AI company that released a series of powerful, open-source AI models in 2024–2025. Their DeepSeek-R1 model made headlines in early 2025 by matching the performance of much more expensive Western AI models at a fraction of the cost. DeepSeek is available as a free chatbot (deepseek.com) and its models can be used by developers. It is particularly strong at coding and maths.
What Most Parents (and Kids) Think About This
DeepSeek became a major news story in January 2025 when it launched DeepSeek-R1 and sent shockwaves through the tech industry. Many parents saw the headlines but were not sure what the fuss was about. The short version: a Chinese company released an AI model that performed as well as OpenAI's best models — and did it much more cheaply, suggesting Western tech companies may have been overestimating how expensive advanced AI has to be.
Some parents are concerned about data privacy with a Chinese AI tool. This is a legitimate concern that we address below.
Kids interested in coding have discovered that DeepSeek is particularly good at coding tasks — sometimes better than ChatGPT for certain programming questions.
What This Question Really Means for Your Family
DeepSeek represents an important shift in the AI landscape: powerful AI is no longer exclusively produced by US companies. Understanding what it is helps families make informed choices about which tools to use and why.
From the field: Sawan Kumar, who trains professionals on AI adoption through his Dubai-based agency EvolvXAI, observes: "Organisations that succeed with AI start with education, not tools. Understanding what AI genuinely can and cannot do is the difference between a successful implementation and a wasted budget."
The Real Answer — Explained Simply
What is DeepSeek the company?
DeepSeek is a Chinese AI research lab founded in 2023, based in Hangzhou, China. It is backed by High-Flyer, a quantitative hedge fund. It publishes its research and releases its models as open source — meaning anyone can download and use the underlying model.
What are the key DeepSeek models?
- DeepSeek-V2 (2024): An efficient "mixture of experts" model that showed impressive performance at low cost.
- DeepSeek-R1 (January 2025): The breakthrough model. It matched or exceeded GPT-4o on many benchmarks — especially coding and maths — and was dramatically cheaper to run. This caused a major market reaction in the US tech industry.
- DeepSeek-V3 (2025): A further refinement, maintaining strong performance.
What is DeepSeek good at?
DeepSeek models, especially R1, are particularly strong at:
- Mathematical reasoning and problem-solving
- Coding in Python, JavaScript, and other languages
- Logical thinking and multi-step problems
- Explaining complex technical topics
How can you use DeepSeek?
- DeepSeek chat (deepseek.com) — A free chatbot similar to ChatGPT, accessible in a browser.
- API access — Developers can integrate DeepSeek into their own tools and apps.
- Local deployment — The open-source model can be downloaded and run on your own computer (requires technical knowledge).
- Third-party tools — Many coding tools and apps have begun integrating DeepSeek models.
Privacy considerations:
DeepSeek is a Chinese company subject to Chinese law, including laws that may require sharing data with the Chinese government. Several countries and organisations have expressed concerns about using DeepSeek for sensitive work. For families:
- Do not share personal information, real names, addresses, or private data with DeepSeek.
- For general coding learning and maths help, the risk profile is similar to other AI tools, but families should be aware of the data context.
- For sensitive work or for children, using US-based or European tools with clearer data governance may be preferable.
- Some Indian schools and organisations have also flagged data privacy concerns with DeepSeek.
Step-by-Step: Try DeepSeek for a Coding Question
- Go to deepseek.com (do not use your real name or personal details to sign up).
- In the chat box, select "DeepThink" mode for reasoning-heavy questions.
- Ask a coding question: "Write a Python function that takes a sentence and counts how many times each word appears, then prints the results sorted from most to least common."
- Read the response and the code carefully.
- Compare with what you get if you ask the same question in ChatGPT.
- Notice the "thinking" process DeepSeek shows — it reasons through the problem step by step before answering.
Facts You Should Know (Updated June 2026)
- DeepSeek-R1 launched in January 2025 and caused US technology stocks to fall significantly, as investors worried that cheaper AI was possible than previously assumed.
- DeepSeek is open source — its model weights can be downloaded and run locally, unlike ChatGPT or Claude.
- DeepSeek performed at or above GPT-4 level on several coding and maths benchmarks, at a reported training cost dramatically lower than comparable Western models.
- Several countries (Australia, Italy, Taiwan) and organisations restricted or discouraged DeepSeek use for government and sensitive work due to data privacy concerns.
- DeepSeek's "chain of thought" reasoning — showing its thinking process before answering — was a notable feature that influenced other AI tools to adopt similar approaches.
- As of June 2026, DeepSeek remains one of the most capable free coding AI tools available, but data privacy awareness is important.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DeepSeek safe for children to use?
For coding and maths learning, the content safety is reasonable. However, parents should create accounts (if signing up at all) and avoid sharing personal information. For sensitive topics or for younger children, US/European tools with clearer privacy policies are preferable.
Is DeepSeek better than ChatGPT for coding?
DeepSeek-R1 matches or exceeds ChatGPT on many coding benchmarks, particularly Python and maths. For some coding tasks, many developers find DeepSeek's explanations more detailed. Both are excellent free tools for coding learning.
Can I run DeepSeek on my own computer?
Yes — DeepSeek is open source. Running it locally requires a capable computer with a good graphics card. Tools like Ollama make local deployment more accessible. For most families, using the web interface is simpler.
The Bottom Line
DeepSeek is a Chinese AI company whose models rival the world's best AI tools for coding and maths at dramatically lower cost. Available free at deepseek.com, it is a powerful coding assistant — but families should be aware of data privacy considerations given its Chinese origin. For general coding learning, it is an impressive and useful tool.
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