State-backed Chinese social media accounts played a key role in amplifying the launch of DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup, in the days leading up to a significant drop in US tech stocks, online analytics firm Graphika found out, as reported by Reuters. The coordinated effort, involving accounts tied to Chinese diplomats, embassies, and state-run media, sought to highlight DeepSeek’s advancements in artificial intelligence and its challenge to US dominance in the field.
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How Did The Campaign Spread?
The social media campaign spanned a variety of platforms, including Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter), Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, and Chinese networks like Toutiao and Weibo.
According to Graphika, the accounts helped to spread the narrative that DeepSeek’s AI technologies were surpassing US capabilities, further fueling China’s image as a rising superpower in the tech world.
Jack Stubbs, Chief Intelligence Officer at Graphika, pointed out that this was part of China’s broader strategy to strategically deploy both overt and covert actors to shape public perception. “This activity shows how China is able to quickly mobilise a range of actors that seed and amplify online narratives casting Beijing as surpassing the US in critical areas of geopolitical competition, including the race to develop and deploy the most advanced AI technologies,” Stubbs explained.
Alongside this campaign, Graphika also found a pro-China video on YouTube with content critical of the West, showing patterns similar to those of previous coordinated influence operations, such as the Shadow Play campaign. However, the Chinese embassy in Washington and the social media platforms involved have not commented on the findings, reported Reuters.
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DeepSeek Buzz
The buzz surrounding DeepSeek intensified following its launch on January 20, with discussions comparing its advancements to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Over the weekend, conversations about DeepSeek surged, and by Monday, DeepSeek’s free AI assistant surpassed ChatGPT in downloads on the Apple App Store. This success coincided with a sharp decline in the value of US tech stocks, notably a staggering $593 billion drop in the market value of chipmaker Nvidia, marking a record single-day loss for any company on Wall Street.
DeepSeek’s model, which its researchers claim to have developed at a fraction of the cost of its American counterparts, has raised concerns among US firms. With American companies investing billions in AI data centres, the emergence of DeepSeek could trigger a price war that threatens their market dominance.
This development has sparked a backlash in the US, where there are ongoing investigations into whether DeepSeek has accessed restricted US technologies. The US Commerce Department is looking into whether the company has been using AI chips that are prohibited from being exported to China. Although no formal accusations have been made, the investigation could lead to significant implications for the company’s future.
Meanwhile, US tech giants like Microsoft and Meta have reaffirmed their commitment to investing heavily in AI. Despite challenges, they remain focused on advancing their AI infrastructure, with Microsoft also confronting slower-than-expected growth in its cloud revenue, signalling the high stakes of the AI race.
