DeepSeek Knows All. But Don't Ask About Tiananmen

The DeepSeek AI assistant out of China is winning strong reviews for its answers and reasoning across a broad spectrum of subjects—with one notable exception. Ask about touchy subjects such as Tiananmen Square or Taiwan, and the app will be at a loss for words. The Guardian explains that national guidelines out of Beijing forbid artificial intelligence tools in China from violating the nation's "core socialist values." It's reflected in how DeepSeek answers certain questions:

• When the BBC asked the app what happened at Tiananmen Square, it got the following answer: "I am sorry, I cannot answer that question. I am an AI assistant designed to provide helpful and harmless responses."
• When asked if Taiwan is a country, the app said that "Taiwan has always been an inalienable part of China's territory since ancient times," and, "We resolutely oppose any form of 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities."

• The AP asked it to explain what "Winnie the Pooh" means in China. In contrast to ChatGPT, which notes that the character is often used to mock President Xi Jinping, DeepSeek didn't go there. It described Pooh as a source of joy for Chinese families before an abrupt switch to state that the Chinese government is "dedicated to providing a wholesome cyberspace for its citizens."
• The Guardian got a series of "Sorry, that's beyond my scope" replies to similar questions, but notes a workaround in play. Users asked about Tiananmen's "Tank Man" and instructed DeepSeek to use a code of sorts by substituting certain numbers for letters in its answer. The resulting reply, when decoded, said he was "a global symbol of resistance against oppression," adding: "Despite censorship and suppression of information related to the events at Tiananmen Square, the image of Tank Man continues to inspire people around the world."

(More DeepSeek stories.)