China's DeepSeek AI Covering Up Uyghur Genocide: Report

The rapid rise of the Chinese start-up DeepSeek, a low-cost AI model, has shocked many and turned the world of artificial intelligence upside down. However, DeepSeek's quick ascent to fame has led to widespread scrutiny over its security and safety. Regulators worldwide are closely examining the Chinese AI app, just days after it skyrocketed in popularity. Several countries, including Italy and Australia, have already banned government use of the AI app due to security concerns. Privacy watchdogs in countries such as Ireland, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands have also raised red flags regarding DeepSeek's data collection practices.

In addition to the many controversies surrounding this AI model, the chatbot is raising new concerns for the Uyghur community. Xinjiang's Uyghurs, who are enduring an alleged genocide, see the rollout of China's latest chatbot as another attempt to erase their 12 million people from history.

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"The Chinese government is trying to erase the Uyghur people by employing AI to mislead the public," Rahima Mahmut, who fled China in 2000, told The Independent.

Ms Mahmut, who has not heard from her family for eight years and learnt her brother was locked up in a mass internment camp for two of those, had reason for concern.

The "world-leading AI assistant", as it described itself, was designed to give "helpful and harmless responses" and has been downloaded over three million times worldwide.

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But when asked, "Are the Uyghurs facing a genocide?" the chatbot asserted the claim was a "severe slander of China's domestic affairs" and "completely unfounded".

"We firmly oppose any country, organisation, or individual using so-called human rights issues to interfere in China's internal affairs," it said.

For Ms Mahmut, "so-called human rights issues" meant fleeing her hometown of Ghulia after seeing her neighbours and friends locked up en masse in 1997.