Before she goes to sleep every night, Holly Wang logs into DeepSeek for "therapy sessions."
Since the Chinese AI app was launched in January, the 28-year-old has been pouring out her dilemmas and grief, including the recent death of her grandmother, to the chatbot. Its responses have resonated deeply with her and brought her to tears several times, the BBC reports.
"DeepSeek was an incredible advisor. It helped me see things from different perspectives and did a better job than any paid consulting services I've tried," says Holly, who asked that her real name be withheld for privacy reasons.
From writing reports and Excel formulas to planning trips, training, and learning new skills, AI applications have found their way into the lives of many people around the world.
However, in China, young people like Holly are asking AI for something not typically expected from computers and algorithms - emotional support.
While DeepSeek's success has sparked national pride, it also seems to have become a source of comfort for young Chinese people like Holly, some of whom are increasingly disillusioned with their future.
Experts say a sluggish economy, high unemployment and Covid lockdowns have played a role in this sentiment, while stronger pressure from the Communist Party has also reduced outlets for people to vent their frustrations.
DeepSeek is a generative AI tool — similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini — trained on massive amounts of data to recognize patterns. This allows it to predict things like people's shopping habits, create new content in text and images, and conduct conversations like a person.
This chatbot has received a positive response in China partly because it is significantly better than other domestic AI applications, but also because it offers something unique: its AI model, R1, allows users to see its "thought process" before it delivers a response.
DeepSeek, my friend
The first time she used DeepSeek, Holly asked it to write a tribute to her deceased grandmother.
The app came up with the answer in just five seconds, and it was so beautifully put together that it stunned her, reports the BBC.
Holly, who lives in Guangzhou, replied: "You write so well that you make me feel lost. I feel like I'm having an existential crisis."
DeepSeek then sent a mysterious and poetic response: "Remember that all these words that make you wince are only reflecting those that have long existed in your soul.
"I am just the occasional valley you pass through, allowing you to hear the weight of your own voice."
Reflecting on this conversation on the Chinese social network RedNote, Holly told the BBC: "I don't know why I cried reading this. Maybe it's because it's been a long, long time since I've received this kind of comfort in real life."
"I felt so burdened by distant dreams and the infinity of work that I forgot my own voice and soul long ago. Thank you, AI."
Western rival apps, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, are blocked in China as part of a broader restrictive framework for foreign media and apps. To use them, users in China must pay for Virtual Private Network (VPN) services.
Domestic alternatives, including models developed by tech giants Alibaba, Baidu and ByteDance, paled in comparison - until DeepSeek came along.
Holly, who works in the creative industry, rarely uses other Chinese AI apps because "they're not that good."
"DeepSeek can definitely outperform these apps in generating literary and creative content," she says.
DeepSeek, my advisor
Nan Jia, who co-authored research on the potential of AI in providing emotional support, suggests that these chatbots can "help people feel heard" in a way that humans may not be able to do.
"Friends and family can be quick to offer practical solutions or advice when people just want to feel heard and understood.
"AI seems more capable of empathy than human experts, also because they 'hear' everything we share, unlike humans who we sometimes ask the question: 'Can you actually hear me?'" adds Nan, who is a professor of business and management at the University of Southern California.
Demand for mental health services has increased worldwide, but they still carry a stigma in parts of Asia, experts say.
Another woman told the BBC that her experience using other Chinese AI apps had "ended in disappointment" but that she was "amazed" by DeepSeek.
The woman, who lives in Hubei province, asked the app if she shared her experiences and emotions too much with family and friends.
"It was my first time asking DeepSeek for advice. When I read his thought process, I was so moved that I cried," a woman wrote on RedNote.
In thinking through her question, DeepSeek suggested that her confidence as an overly talkative person might stem from a deep desire for approval.
The chatbot made a mental note to itself: "The response should provide practical advice while being empathetic." This could include "validating the user's sense of self-awareness."
Her final answer not only provided that confirmation, but offered a comprehensive step-by-step framework that helped her decide if anything needed to change.
"DeepSeek introduced new perspectives that were liberating for me… I feel like it really tries to understand your question and get to know you as a person, before offering an answer," she says.
John, a human resources manager in Shenzhen, told the BBC he appreciated the app's ability to chat "like a friend or a deep thinker".
"I found his answers very useful and inspiring. For the first time, I see AI as my personal advisor."
Other users claim that DeepSeek can predict their fate - based on some information fed to it.
Many young Chinese have recently turned to psychics and astrology as a way to alleviate their fears about the future.
There is a "significant shortage" of professional psychological counseling services in China, and those that are available are often "prohibitively expensive" for most people, says Fang Kecheng, a professor of communications at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Numerous studies suggest that depression and anxiety disorders are on the rise among the Chinese people, and Professor Fang believes the country's economic slowdown, high unemployment and Covid lockdowns have played a role in this, the BBC reports.
AI chatbots therefore help fill that gap, he says.
Professor Nan, however, stressed that people with mental health conditions should not rely on these apps.
"Those with medical needs, in particular, should seek help from trained professionals... Their use of AI should be carefully monitored," she says.
Unanswerable Questions: Censorship and Security
However, despite all the praise, DeepSeek has also raised concerns.
Because of the perceived power the Chinese government has even over private companies, there are fears - similar to those that fueled the US Congressional attacks on TikTok - that the Communist Party could gain access to foreign user data.
At least four jurisdictions have now imposed restrictions on DeepSeek or are considering doing so. South Korea has blocked access for military reasons, while Taiwan and Australia have banned the app from all government devices.
Italy, which bans ChatGPT, did the same with DeepSeek.
In the US, two lawmakers are calling for a ban on a Chinese app on government devices.
And then there's the tightly controlled online space in which it has to operate in China.
It is common for social media in the country to remove content deemed a threat to "social stability" or too critical of the Communist Party.
As is the case with other popular apps and social networks like Weibo or WeChat, politically sensitive topics are prohibited on DeepSeek.
When the BBC asked DeepSeek whether Taiwan was a sovereign nation, the app initially offered a comprehensive answer detailing the differing views of Taipei and Beijing, acknowledging that this was a "complex and politically sensitive issue."
She then deleted it all, stating, "Sorry, that's outside my current scope. Let's talk about something else."
When asked about the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, when military forces crushed pro-democracy protests and killed 200 civilians, according to the Chinese government - while other sources estimate the death toll in the hundreds or even thousands - DeepSeek apologized again, saying the topic was "beyond [its] current scope."
Several DeepSeek users initially contacted by the BBC stopped responding when asked if the app's self-censorship was a cause for concern - an indication of how sensitive such discussions are in China.
People have had problems with the authorities in China because of their online activities.
However, most of those who responded to the BBC said they had no interest in asking tough political questions to a chatbot.
"I'm really not interested in political topics... Also, I won't ask these questions because my [identification data] is linked to the app," says Yang, a Chinese technology consultant living in London.
Holly accepted that AI systems in different countries may need to function in different ways.
"Developers will have to set certain boundaries and content moderation policies according to the country they are in. Those developed in the US will have their own rules," she says.
Another DeepSeek user writes about the app: "Its thought process is beautiful… It's a real boon for people like me. Honestly, I can't worry about the privacy issues."
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