China: DeepSeek AI Makes Presence Felt At Two Sessions

As delegates from across China gathered in Beijing for the “Two Sessions”, the meeting of the National People’s Congress (parliament) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), apart from the politicians and high ranking officials on centre stage, DeepSeek AI was also there.

Lou Qinjian, spokesperson for the 14th National People’s Congress, lauding DeepSeek, said it represents the rise of a group of Chinese companies in the field of artificial intelligence.

Liu Shangxi, a member of the national committee of the CPPCC, said DeepSeek was essentially about democratising access to advanced technology. DeepSeek would empower a wide range of sectors, providing smaller companies with access to AI at a lower cost. He was quoted by Global Times as saying that it could impact the world as it integrates into the Chinese economy.

“Previously, high costs and investment made AI only accessible to large companies,” he noted, “now AI technology can be accessed by smaller businesses and the general public.”

He was confident that DeepSeek AI will have a positive impact across fields and lead to a significant reduction in costs.

Feng Yuanzheng, another member of the CPPCC National Committee, shared his experience of using DeepSeek to generate scripts in an interview. His words have been buzzing and been reposted many times on Chinese social media with the hashtag translating #MemberOf ThePoliticalConsultativeConferenceUseDeepSeekToWriteScripts.

Netizens have expressed admiration for the quality of DeepSeek, with many praising its innovative capabilities. However, it has also sparked discussion about the limitations of artificial intelligence, particularly on how AI can never fully replicate human emotions.

While the technology is seen as impressive, many users emphasized that AI, no matter how advanced, lacks the depth of human feeling and intuition that are essential in meaningful interactions. Netizens posted on the utility of AI just as a tool.

Others took to social media to share examples of how they had used DeepSeek alongside their own expertise, refining and personalizing its output to ensure a more authentic and human touch in their work.

The success of DeepSeek has sparked widespread interest in AI and raised important discussions about China’s future in technology. As the country works to boost innovation, which is seen as a key driver of growth, China’s innovation ranking has improved to 11th globally.

At the two sessions, there was a strong focus on openness and collaboration, with DeepSeek’s open-source strategy being seen as an important factor in its success.