Chinese startup DeepSeek caused turbulence in the global AI market earlier this year with its claim that its large language model, R1, was developed at a fraction of the cost of U.S. competitors. The company said it trained the open-source model for $6 million, compared with the roughly $100 million OpenAI invested in training ChatGPT-4.
DeepSeek’s rapid expansion is now being felt across Africa, where experts warn that the model presents data-privacy risks and deepens reliance on external technologies beyond national control.
Business specialist Rutendo Hwindingwi of Tribe Africa Advisory said governments and industries should remain cautious. “We know China has its advantages in terms of building to scale, but obviously it’s your responsibility as a government or an industry to make sure you get the quality that’s in line with that,” he said.
DeepSeek is investing heavily in African markets, where demand for scalable digital tools remains high. “While they’re not the only ones, it seems they’re taking extra care to capitalise on this opportunity,” Hwindingwi added.
Some analysts argue that China has already displaced Western firms in providing Africa’s core telecoms infrastructure and may now be doing the same in artificial intelligence. The growing adoption of DeepSeek’s tools reflects both the appeal of low-cost, open-source AI and the continent’s ongoing debate over technological sovereignty.
The emergence of DeepSeek comes as African leaders increasingly push for frameworks that ensure AI development aligns with national interests and protects citizens’ data.
