How young Chinese find therapy in AI

Before you go to bed every night, Holly van went into Deepseek for “therapy”.

Since January, when the Chinese AI App, a 28-year-old girl launched the Chinese AI App, has brought her dilemma and sadness, including his grandmother’s recent death, to Chatbat. His answers resonated so deeply that they sometimes brought it to tears.

“Deepseek was such a strange advisor. It helped me look at things from different perspectives and did better work than paid consulting services I tried,” says Holly, who asked her real name to protect her privacy.

From writing reports and Excel formulas to travel, training, and learning new skills, AI apps have found their way to the lives of many people around the world.

In China, however, young people, such as Holly, are looking for AI for what is usually not expected from computing and algorithms – emotional support.

Although Deepseek’s success inspired national pride, it also became a source of comfort for young Chinese like Holly, some of whom are increasingly disappointed in their future.

Experts say the sluggish economy, high unemployment and closed closure played a role in these sentiments, while the strengthening of the Communist Party’s puffs also reduced outlets so that people would allocate their disappointments.

Deepseek is AI generative tool – Looks like Chatgpt Openai and Google’s Gemini – prepared for a lot of information to recognize models. This allows you to predict things like buying people, create new content in texts and pictures, as well as talking like a person.

Chatbot has a chord in China partly because it is much better than other AI Homegrown applications, but also because it offers something unique: its Model AI, R1, allows users to see its “thinking process” before giving the answer.

For the first time she used Deepseek, Holly asked him to write a tribute to her late grandmother.

The app took all five seconds to come up with the answer, and it was so beautifully composed that it stunned it.

Holly, who lives in Guangzhou, replied, “You write so well that makes me feel lost. I feel like I’m in an existential crisis.”

Then Deepseek sent a critically poetic answer: “Remember that all these words that make you tremble just echoing those who have long existed in your soul.

“I, but the accidental valley you have passed, allows you to hear the weight of your own voice.”

Reflecting on this exchange on the Chinese addition media application, Holly tells the BBC: “I don’t know why I torn it out. Probably because it has long and long as I got such comfort in real life.

“I was so distant dreams and infinity of work that I have long forgotten my own voice and soul. Thank you, Ai.”

Competitors from the West, such as Chatgpt and Gemini, blocked in China as part of broader foreign media and applications. To access them, users in China must pay for virtual private network services (VPN).

Homegrown alternatives, including models developed by Alibaba, Baidu and Byton’s technological giants connected compared – that is, until Deepseek came.

Holly, which works in the creative industry, rarely uses other Chinese AI applications, “because they are not so great.”

“Deepseek can certainly surpass these applications in the generation of literary and creative content,” she says.

Nan Jia, who co-authored the potential of II, providing emotional support, suggests that these chat bots can “help people feel hearing” ways that people may not do it.

“Friends and family can quickly offer practical solutions or advice when people just want to feel heard and understandable.

“AI seems to be more empathetic than human experts, because they” hear “everything we share, unlike the people we sometimes ask,” Do you actually hear me? “,” adds NAS, who is a professor of business and management of the University of Southern California.

Experts say the demand for mental health services has grown worldwide, but they remain stigmatized in some parts of Asia.

Another woman tells the BBC her experience of using other Chinese AI applications “ended with disappointment”, but that she was “surprised” Deepseek.

A woman who lives in Hubei province asked in addition if she obscures her experience and emotions with her family and friends.

“It was my first time I was looking for a lawyer from the depths.

Having a reason through his request, Deepseek suggested that a woman’s self -consciousness as overcome may arise from a deep desire for approval.

Chatbot gives itself a mental note: “The answer must offer practical advice, being compassionate.” This may include “Confirmation of the Self -awareness of the User”.

His reaction not only presented this confirmation, but also offered her a comprehensive step -by -step basis, which would help her decide whether to change everything.

“Deepseek has introduced new prospects that released me … I feel it really tries to understand your question and get acquainted with you as a person before you suggest,” she says.

John, Head of Human Resources in Shenzhen, told the BBC that he highly assesses the ability to speak “as a friend or deep thinker.”

“I found his answers very useful and inspiring. For the first time I see AI as my personal advice.”

Other users claim that Deepseek is able to tell about their condition – on the basis of some reference information for its information.

Many young Chinese recently turned to psychics and astrology as a way to try to mitigate their fears for the future.

In China, there is a “significant deficit” of professional psychological consultations, and most people are often “very expensive”, – says Fang Kacheng, a professor at Hong Kong’s Chinese University.

A number of research noted that depression and disturbing disorders are growing among the Chinese, and Professor Fang believes that the economic slowdown in the country, high unemployment and closed closure have played a role.

So it helps to fill the void, he says.

However, Professor NAS emphasized that people with serious mental health conditions should not rely on these applications.

“Those who have medical needs, in particular, should seek the help of trained professionals … Their use of II should be very carefully studied,” she says.

But against the background of all praise Deepseek also caused concern.

Due to the perception of power, which the Government of China is even over private companies, there are fears – similar to what caused the US Congress on a tick – that the Communist Party can put their hands on foreign users’ data.

At least four jurisdictions imposed restrictions on Deepseek, or consider the opportunity to do so. South Korea blocked access to military purposes, while Taiwan and Australia banned it from all state devices.

Italy, which forbids Chatgpt, did the same with Deepseek.

In the United States, two lawmakers ask the Chinese application to be banned from government devices.

And then there is a tightly controlled internet space in which it should work in China.

Companies on social media in the country are usually removed by content, which is allegedly threatened with “social stability” or overly critical of the Communist Party.

As in the case of other popular apps and companies on social media, such as Weibo or WeChat, politically sensitive topics are forbidden on Deepseek.

When the BBC asked Deepeseek, whether the Taiwan was a sovereign nation, the app originally offered a comprehensive reaction, which details the different prospects of Taipei and Beijing, acknowledging that it is “a difficult and politically sensitive issue”.

Then it cleaned it all, saying, “Excuse me, this is my current volume. Let’s talk about something else.”

Asked about the massacre on Tiananmen Square in 1989, when the pro -democratic protests were crushed and 200 civilians were killed by the military, according to the Chinese government – other estimates vary from hundreds to many thousands – the depths again apologized, saying that the topic was ” Outside (he is beyond (His) the current volume. “

Several Deepseek users, which BBC initially maintained a link with the reshuffle answering whether the self -censorship of the application is concerned – indicating how sensitive such discussions can be in China.

The people have entered the trouble with authorities in China from their internet activity.

But most of those who responded to the BBC stated that they were not interested in asking Chatbot complex political questions.

“I don’t really care about political topics … I also do not ask these questions because my (identification details) are related to the app,” says Jan, a Chinese technology consultant that lives in London.

Holly accepts as systems II in different countries, may have to work around.

“The developers will have to establish certain moderate policies and moderation depending on where they are. Those who have developed in the United States will have their own rules,” she says.

Another Deepseek user writes about the application: “Its thinking process is beautiful … This is an absolute blessing for people like me. Honestly, I can’t care less about privacy problems.”

Additional Fan Wang Report