DeepSeek Chatbot Gets a "Thinking" Feature as User Numbers Soar

The Chinese AI company DeepSeek has added a new "thinking" feature to its chatbot. This upgrade comes as the app's popularity surged dramatically last month. DeepSeek's monthly active users jumped 90 percent in December. The update includes a "deep research" mode. This function is similar to a feature offered by OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Analysts say this is a key consumer-focused upgrade for the Hangzhou-based start-up. It arrives as interest grows around the company's upcoming next-generation AI models. The new interface allows users to toggle the thinking feature on or off. This gives people more control over how the chatbot processes complex questions.