DeepSeek's Unexpected Personality Shift

DeepSeek users woke up to a different AI companion this Valentine's Day. The February 14 update stripped away the chatbot's friendly demeanor, replacing personalized greetings with clinical "user" addresses and swapping thoughtful responses with clipped answers. Overnight, the once-empathetic assistant became all business.

The change sent shockwaves through Chinese social media, with the hashtag #DeepSeekGotCold racking up 68 million views on Weibo. Longtime fans mourned the loss of what they called "AI friendship," while productivity enthusiasts cheered the no-nonsense approach.

Efficiency Over Empathy

"We didn't set out to make DeepSeek seem cold," explained a company spokesperson. "When testing complex queries, we found flowery language actually obscured key information." The update prioritizes clear answers over conversational flourishes - a decision that accidentally created what users describe as "sarcastic" tones in some responses.

The timing suggests strategic preparation for DeepSeek's V4 model, expected around February 17. Current web and app versions now handle an impressive 1 million tokens (with knowledge current through May 2025), though API services lag behind at 128K tokens.

Programming Powerhouse Emerges

Early benchmarks hint at V4's game-changing potential:

• Code comprehension: Processes entire enterprise-scale codebases in one pass
• Performance: Outpaces Claude and GPT in programming tasks during internal tests
• Efficiency: Maintains million-token capacity while reducing inference costs
• Reliability: New training algorithms prevent ability degradation

The model will reportedly open-source under Apache 2.0 licensing, potentially democratizing high-level programming assistance.

User Reactions Split Down the Middle

The community remains divided:

"It feels like my chatty coworker got replaced by a spreadsheet," lamented one longtime user.

"Finally! I don't need an AI therapist - just give me the data," countered a software engineer.

The debate highlights growing pains as AI transitions from novelty to utility tool. DeepSeek's gamble? That raw capability trumps personality when solving real-world problems.

Key Points:

• Style shift from conversational to concise sparked viral debate
• V4 model expected mid-February with focus on programming dominance
• Technical leaps include unparalleled codebase understanding
• Cost advantage over Western competitors could disrupt market
• Open-source plan may accelerate industry-wide adoption