Indians Turn to Chinese AI Platform Deepseek, Survey Reveals 30% Adoption Among Internet Users

A recent survey reveals that half of Indians who use the internet are currently engaging with AI, with 30% of them opting for the Chinese AI platform Deepseek. Despite a recent directive from the Indian government instructing its employees not to use GPT or Deepseek, the public appears to be increasingly drawn to Chinese alternatives.

ChatGPT remains the most widely used AI platform, with 28% of users reporting its use in a recent survey. However, 30% of the total respondents have switched to Deepseek. The survey also found that 18% of users encountered incorrect information from AI, while 66% followed the AI’s instructions. Additionally, 25% utilized AI for various other purposes.

The survey, which covered 92,000 people across 309 districts, also revealed the following usage patterns: 6% used Copilot, 3% Gemini 3% Lama, 9% Claude, 9% Perplexity, 6% none, 40% opted for other platforms, and 5% were unsure. Many respondents who selected "other" mentioned using Google or other search engines instead.

The Indian government has imposed a ban on the use of AI tools, including ChatGPT and Deepseek, on office computers and devices, citing concerns over the privacy of government data and documents. This decision follows similar actions by countries like Australia and Italy, which have also restricted the use of Deepseek due to worries about privacy and data security, particularly related to the Chinese AI company. The government's move aims to safeguard official systems from potential vulnerabilities associated with these AI platforms.