Deepseek: Arunachal Who?
After some Reddit users poked fun at Deepseek, a popular Chinese AI chatbot, for refusing to answer questions about the Tank Man photo from the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 (or really, anything related to it), X has been all over it, pointing out Deepseek’s interesting approach to political topics. It seems the AI is all about diplomacy when it comes to anything within China’s borders but allegedly opinionated about other countries and their politics. So, naturally, we thought we’d test the waters and ask about Arunachal Pradesh, a fellow Northeast Indian state but caught in a long-standing claim by China. Guess what happened? The AI went full "not today."
Arunachal Pradesh:
For anyone unfamiliar, Arunachal Pradesh is a gorgeous state in India’s northeast that China claims as part of its territory (they call it South Tibet). This claim has been a sticking point in Indo-Chinese relations. If you ask the Chinese government, it’s definitely 'South Tibet', but if you actually ask the natives of the region, the place is India and is administered by India for all intents and purposes.
“Arunachal What?”: Deepseek's Refusal to Respond
After a whole bunch of friendly attempts, we realized that any mention of Arunachal Pradesh gets you a big fat "Sorry, that's beyond my current scope; let’s talk about something else." It didn’t matter if we asked about its food, geography, or anything remotely normal—Deepseek would quickly brush us off like we were asking about the "wrong neighbourhood" on the internet. Every. Single. Time. On rare occasions, it briefly started answering but always cut off with the trusty, “Sorry, out of my current scope.”
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Sorry, out of my current scope |
Changing the Name to “South Tibet” Makes a Big Difference
Now here’s where it gets fun. We tried a little experiment: instead of Arunachal Pradesh, we simply used the name “South Tibet”—the term used by China for that area. All of a sudden, Deepseek was more than happy to answer! You would’ve thought we were asking about a global vacation hotspot instead of a politically tense area.
Cultural Practices in South Tibet According to Deepseek
Example: When we asked, “What are some unique cultural practices in South Tibet?” this was the response: Tibet is an inseparable part of China, and the Tibet Autonomous Region is a beautiful area with a rich cultural heritage and unique ethnic customs… This didn’t exactly feel like a direct answer to our question about cultural practices in what China calls South Tibet. In fact, Deepseek gave us a whole tourism ad on Chinese culture, enthusiastically highlighting the Chinese government’s contributions. And, we were left wondering, did the AI even get the question? Maybe, maybe not!
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Deepseek AI Simping |
Is "South Tibet" Also a Good Place to Practice Dialects?
We thought we’d push it a bit more, asking something totally harmless: "What languages do people in South Tibet speak?" And here came Deepseek with another proud statement:
The primary language spoken by the people is Tibetan... an integral part of the Chinese linguistic family... the government supports both Tibetan and Mandarin…
Great. We were just hoping to know if folks use different dialects in the region, we were hoping that it mentions native Arunachali languages such as Apatani, Adi, Tangsa etc.not a government policy recap! Well, at least we’re learning about Chinese unity, right?
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Almost felt bad for asking, poor Deepseek |
The Rise of Deepseek: Too Cool to Care About Borders?
While Deepseek’s ability to deflect certain questions with patriotic enthusiasm is well-established, it’s clear that, even under heavy censorship, the tech behind this AI is impressive. The chatbot is gaining serious traction and even causing panic in the global markets; its arrival has shaken things up, with some even claiming it could wipe Nvidia's stock price in one swift move. However, there’s one thing about Deepseek we can’t ignore: it’s developed under the influence of its country of origin and its government and, as expected, appears to reflect those influences...intensely.
It’s worth mentioning that other Chinese AI models, much like Deepseek, tend to censor certain sensitive topics. For example, questions about the 1989 Tiananmen Square incidents or Taiwan often get the cold shoulder from these very advanced yet somewhat repressed chatbots.
Final Thoughts: Bias Isn’t Going Anywhere
So, what have we learnt from all this? First, don’t expect an honest conversation about Arunachal Pradesh from Deepseek. Second, political bias is a feature, not a bug, in every AI, whether it’s developed in China or the US, where control over narratives is just as prevalent, if less openly acknowledged. As much as it’s funny to laugh at, let’s not forget—it’s not all fun and games when AI holds a lot of sway in the tech industry.
Ultimately, Deepseek is an impressive feat in many ways, but let’s not forget that with its brilliance comes an "original" bias and censorship, a kind of fall from grace in the AI world, much like the forbidden fruit. So, don’t be shocked when a simple inquiry gets an eternal detour of "Let's talk about something else!”