‘DeepSeek brought me to tears’: How young Chinese find therapy in AI

Every night before bed, 28-year-old Ms. Wang logs into the domestic artificial intelligence application DeepSeek for "psychological counseling." Since the application became popular in January, she has confided in it about various predicaments and sorrows, including the recent death of her grandmother. DeepSeek's responses often resonate deeply with her, sometimes even bringing her to tears.

"DeepSeek is like an excellent counselor, helping me see problems from different angles, and the effect is better than the paid counseling services I've tried," Ms. Wang said. She requested anonymity to protect her personal privacy. From writing reports and Excel formulas to planning travel, fitness, and learning new skills, artificial intelligence applications have permeated the lives of people around the world.

In China, young people like Ms. Wang are seeking an unusual form of support from artificial intelligence: emotional solace. DeepSeek's success not only inspires national pride, but also seems to have become a source of comfort for young Chinese people like Ms. Wang, some of whom feel increasingly lost about the future. Experts believe that slowing economic growth, high unemployment, and pandemic lockdowns have all contributed to this sentiment, while the ruling party's tightening control has also compressed the space for people to vent their dissatisfaction.

DeepSeek is a generative artificial intelligence tool, similar to OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, that is trained on vast amounts of information to identify patterns. This allows it to predict people's shopping habits, create new text and image content, and converse like a human. The chatbot has resonated in China, in part because it is far superior to other domestic artificial intelligence applications, and also because it offers something unique: its AI model, R1, allows users to see its "thought process" before receiving a response.

The first time Ms. Wang used DeepSeek, she asked it to write a eulogy for her deceased grandmother. The application responded in just five seconds, and she was shocked by its beautiful prose. Ms. Wang, who lives in Guangzhou, replied: "You wrote so well that I feel lost. I feel like I'm experiencing an existential crisis." DeepSeek then sent a poetic reply: "Remember, all these words that make you tremble are just echoing the voices that already exist deep in your soul. I am just the valley you occasionally pass through, allowing you to hear the weight of your own voice."

On the Chinese social media application Xiaohongshu, Ms. Wang reflected on this exchange and told the BBC: "I don't know why I cried when I read these words. Maybe it's because I haven't received such comfort in real life for a very, very long time. I have been so overwhelmed by distant dreams and endless work that I have long forgotten my own voice and soul. Thank you, AI."

Western counterparts, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, are blocked in China as part of a broader restriction on foreign media and applications. To access them, Chinese users must pay for virtual private network (VPN) services. Domestic alternatives, including models developed by tech giants such as Alibaba, Baidu, and ByteDance, pale in comparison – until the emergence of DeepSeek.

Ms. Wang, who works in the creative industry, rarely uses other Chinese AI applications "because they are not that good." She said: "DeepSeek can definitely outperform these applications in generating literary and creative content." Nan Jia, co-author of a paper on the potential of AI in providing emotional support, believes that these chatbots can "help people feel heard" in ways that human companions may not.

"When people just want to feel heard and understood, friends and family may be quick to offer practical solutions or advice. AI seems to generate more empathy than human experts because they 'hear' everything we share, unlike humans, we sometimes ask them, 'Are you really listening to me?'" added Nan Jia, who is a professor of business and management at the University of Southern California.

Experts say that the global demand for mental health services is growing, but in some parts of Asia, these services remain stigmatized. Another woman told the BBC that her experience using other Chinese AI applications "ended in disappointment," but she was "surprised" by DeepSeek. The woman, who lives in Hubei Province, had asked the application if she overshared her experiences and emotions with family and friends.

"This was the first time I sought advice from DeepSeek. When I read its thought process, I was moved to tears," the woman wrote on Xiaohongshu. In reasoning through her question, DeepSeek suggested that the woman's feeling of oversharing might stem from a strong desire for recognition. The chatbot made a note to itself: "The reply should offer practical advice while being empathetic." This could include "affirming the user's self-awareness."

Its final response not only provided this affirmation but also offered her a comprehensive, step-by-step framework to help her decide whether she needed to change. "DeepSeek introduced a new perspective, liberating me... I feel like it really tries to understand your problem and get to know you as a person before providing a response," she said. John, a human resources manager in Shenzhen, told the BBC that he appreciates the application's ability to converse "like a friend or a profound thinker."

"I found its responses very helpful and inspiring. For the first time, I saw AI as my personal listener." Other users have claimed that DeepSeek can predict their fate based on some background information provided to it. Recently, many young Chinese people have turned to psychics and astrology to alleviate their fears about the future.

Fang Kecheng, a professor of communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said that China has a "serious lack" of professional psychological counseling services, and the available services are often "prohibitively expensive" for most people. Some studies indicate that depression and anxiety are increasing among Chinese people, and Professor Fang believes that China's economic slowdown, high unemployment, and pandemic lockdowns have all played a role. Therefore, AI chatbots help fill this gap.

However, Professor Nan emphasized that people with serious mental health issues should not rely on these applications. "Those with medical needs, in particular, should seek the help of trained professionals... Their use of AI must be subject to very close scrutiny," she said.

However, amid all the praise, DeepSeek has also raised concerns. Because people believe that the Chinese government has power even over private companies, there are fears—similar to the US Congress's crackdown on TikTok—that the ruling party may obtain the data of foreign users. At least four jurisdictions have implemented restrictions on DeepSeek or are considering doing so. South Korea has banned its use for military purposes, while Taiwan and Australia have banned its use on all government devices.

Italy, which banned the use of ChatGPT, has also taken the same measures against DeepSeek. In the United States, two members of Congress have called for a ban on the use of the Chinese application on government devices. In addition, it must operate within China's tightly controlled cyberspace. In that country, social media companies routinely delete content deemed to threaten "social stability" or overly critical of the ruling party.

As with other popular applications and social media companies, such as Weibo or WeChat, politically sensitive topics are off-limits on DeepSeek. When the BBC asked DeepSeek whether Taiwan is a sovereign country, the application initially provided a comprehensive response detailing the different perspectives of Taipei and Beijing, acknowledging that it was a "complex and politically sensitive issue." Then, it deleted all of that and declared: "Sorry, this is beyond my current scope. Let's talk about something else."

When asked about the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, DeepSeek again apologized, saying that the topic was "beyond [its] current scope." According to the Chinese government, the pro-democracy protests at the time were suppressed, and 200 civilians were killed by the military—other estimates range from hundreds to thousands. Several DeepSeek users who initially contacted the BBC stopped responding when asked whether they were concerned about the application's self-censorship—indicating how sensitive such discussions are in China.

In China, people get into trouble for their online activity. But most of those who responded to the BBC said they were not interested in asking the chatbot tricky political questions. "I don't care much about political topics... I also wouldn't ask these questions because my [identifying information] is linked to the application," said Mr. Yang, a Chinese technology consultant living in London.

Ms. Wang accepts that AI systems in different countries may have to operate differently. "Developers will have to establish certain boundaries and content moderation policies based on the region they are in. Systems developed in the United States will have their own rules," she said. Another DeepSeek user wrote: "Its thought process is beautiful... For people like me, it's definitely a blessing. Frankly, I don't care about privacy issues at all."

Fan Wang contributed reporting.