Alibaba Releases Statement about DeepSeek Affiliation

Alibaba Group Holding has denied rumors that it intended to invest in the popular start-up in the same city. Instead, it plans to add more artificial intelligence (AI) models from DeepSeek to its cloud-based computing service.

Alibaba Cloud said on WeChat that its cloud computing and AI division is launching six new DeepSeek models via its Bailian large language model (LLM) service platform. Within 24 hours of this announcement, Alibaba recorded a 5.5% increase in its share price on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

During the Lunar New Year break, Alibaba and other prominent Chinese cloud service providers, such as Huawei Technologies, Tencent Holdings, and Baidu, put in extra effort to promote DeepSeek’s new models on their platforms. The nation’s three leading telecom providers (China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom) have included DeepSeek’s models in their services.

South Korean Intelligence Agency Warns About DeepSeek’s Privacy Risks

Meanwhile, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of South Korea has warned against using the open-source broad language model DeepSeek-R1. The NIS, which oversees the nation’s cybersecurity operations, claims that the Chinese service gathers a lot of personal information and keeps it on Chinese servers indefinitely.

According to a release from the NIS, DeepSeek gathers “excessive” data from its users, including chat logs and keystrokes. The NIS claimed this personal information was being revealed to advertisers, corporate affiliates, and legal affiliates without providing users an opt-out option.

The NIS cautioned that Chinese local regulations allow this information to be given to the Chinese government upon request. The NIS also claimed that, in contrast to other generative AI services, DeepSeek provides “inconsistent” answers when questioned about subjects that Beijing has traditionally deemed sensitive.

Throughout last week, South Korean government ministries and local offices restricted DeepSeek due to security breach concerns.

GenAI Can Increase India’s IT Sector Productivity Up to 45% – Report

Following a survey conducted by consultancy firm EY India, the growing use of generative AI (GenAI) might increase the efficiency of India’s $254 billion software market by 43% to 45% within the next five years. This increase in productivity will result from the IT sector’s internalization of GenAI components and the growing number of client projects that progress from proof of idea to production.

Leading IT firms like Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services have emphasized clients’ use of AI to complete new projects. According to EY India, 89% have begun testing GenAI projects, including 33% currently in production.

According to Abhinav Johri, a tech consulting partner at EY India, the industry’s faith in AI’s promise demonstrates the quick shift from proof of concept to broader adoption. According to the survey conducted by EY India, software development positions would experience the most significant productivity boost in the vast IT sector, with an increase of almost 60%.

This is followed by BPO services (52%) and IT consulting (47%). The report states that the growing application of artificial intelligence improves customer experience in the IT sector, reduces expenses, and boosts revenue development.

DeepSeek Rise: Experts Call for Stricter AI Regulation

Experts have called for stricter regulation of artificial intelligence to keep the technology from becoming unmanageable as world leaders gather in Paris for a summit on AI. Co-hosted by France and India, the summit centered on AI “action” in 2025 rather than the safety issues that characterized previous gatherings in Seoul, South Korea, in 2024 and Bletchley Park, UK, in 2023.

France’s strategy for hosting the meeting is to promote international collaboration on AI governance, emphasizing voluntary commitments and sustainability above legally mandatory rules. Max Tegmark, the director of the Future of Life Institute in the United States, which has long cautioned about the possible risks of artificial intelligence, urged France to seize the opportunity to encourage worldwide collaboration on AI governance.

Tegmark’s institute introduced the Global Risk and AI Safety Preparedness (GRASP) platform, which identifies the main risks of AI and suggests solutions being developed globally.