OpenAI’s ChatGPT has been pretty much constantly in the headlines for the past couple of years, and the highly-sophisticated technology has dominated the AI landscape. However, a new, recently-released Chinese AI model, DeepSeek R1, looks set to be a strong competitor—with some studies showing it even outperforms OpenAI’s GPT-4.
Even more impressive is the fact that (supposedly) DeepSeek R1 was trained on a fraction of the resources compared to ChatGPT, and with growing concerns over AI’s costs and accessibility, the release of DeepSeak could reshape how businesses—including affiliate marketers—use and leverage AI tools.
DeepSeek is impressive—but not without controversy
DeepSeek, developed with just 2,000 GPUs and $5.58 million in training costs, has surprised industry analysts by delivering a performance similar to other leading AI products. To put this into perspective, Western AI companies have spent hundreds of millions of dollars training their models. However, some experts doubt China’s claims over how much the technology really cost.
What’s more, despite its impressive technical abilities, DeepSeek is also facing scrutiny over its data privacy and security. Reports indicate that the app’s privacy policy allows for the storage of user data on servers located in China, and this has already led to some bans and restrictions in countries like Australia, South Korea, and various U.S. government agencies.
As Ivan Tsarynny, CEO of Feroot Security, said, “DeepSeek’s embedded software has the capability to transmit user login details to China Mobile, a state-owned telecoms company previously sanctioned by the US for its military links.”
What does DeepSeek mean for affiliates?
Affiliates have, in the past few years, relied increasingly on AI tools for content creation, SEO, and data analysis—but the costs of premium AI tools have been a barrier for many. If DeepSeek ends up being competitively priced (it’s currently available for free) it could offer affiliates a range of long-term benefits.
For example, if DeepSeek’s pricing undercuts OpenAI and Anthropic, affiliate marketers could generate SEO-optimized content and ad copy at a significantly reduced cost—while also allowing marketers to analyse traffic, refine audience targeting, and predict trends, potentially more effectively than ChatGPT.
It’s clear that DeepSeek is an impressive piece of tech, and with AI-driven affiliate marketing on the rise, it could have the potential to shake up an industry that has, until now, been largely reliant on Western-based AI products. However, whether DeekSeek can withstand the scrutiny it’s likely to face—well, that remains to be seen.
Sources:
- https://www.reuters.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/south-koreas-industry-ministry-temporarily-bans-access-deepseek-security-2025-02-05/
- https://build.nvidia.com/deepseek-ai/deepseek-r1/modelcard
- https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/tech/14289141/deepseek-ai-chatbot-chinese-government-cybersecurity/
