27/09/2026
AI Toolbox #10: DeepSeek – You May Have Heard of It, But
What’s It Like Now?
If you have been following artificial intelligence for a while, you may have heard the name DeepSeek.
I first came across it some time ago, and like many people, I was curious about what all the fuss was about.
But AI moves quickly.
So, rather than looking at the DeepSeek that attracted so much attention last year, I thought it was worth taking another look at what DeepSeek has become.
So, what is DeepSeek?
DeepSeek is an AI company that develops large language models and AI tools. Like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok, you can use DeepSeek to have a conversation with an AI, ask questions, get help with writing, solve problems and work with code.
But DeepSeek has also put considerable emphasis on reasoning, coding and AI agents—systems designed to carry out more complicated tasks using tools rather than simply answering one question at a time.
Its models have developed considerably since the original versions that brought it to wider attention.
The company released its V4 model family in 2026, and in September 2026 announced DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash, which adds native visual understanding while focusing on speed and efficiency. (DeepSeek)
So, this isn’t quite the same DeepSeek you may have tried last year.
What can you actually use it for?
For an ordinary user, you don’t need to understand the technical side of DeepSeek to use it.
You can simply ask it questions.
You could ask:
“Explain this subject to me as if I’m a complete beginner.”
Or:
“Rewrite this letter so it sounds friendly but professional.”
Or:
“Give me some ideas for promoting my small business.”
You can also use it for mathematics, problem solving, coding, research and longer, more complicated tasks.
DeepSeek’s recent models have been specifically developed with reasoning and agent capabilities in mind. Its V3.2 release introduced the ability to combine its thinking process with tool use, allowing it to work through multiple steps when tackling certain tasks. (DeepSeek)
DeepSeek and coding
This is an area where DeepSeek has attracted a lot of attention.
If you’re a programmer, DeepSeek can help write, explain and troubleshoot code.
And you don’t necessarily need to be a programmer to find that useful.
Imagine you have a simple website and something isn’t working.
You could give the problem to an AI and ask:
“I don’t understand code. Can you explain what’s wrong and tell me what I need to change?”
That’s very different from simply asking DeepSeek AI to write a computer program from scratch.
It can act more like a translator between you and the technical stuff.
DeepSeek’s 2026 releases have put particular emphasis on agent and coding capabilities, including improvements aimed at software development and other multi-step tasks. (DeepSeek API Documentation)
It can work with images too
This is another area where DeepSeek has moved on.
Earlier DeepSeek models were primarily text-based. The company’s newer V4.1-Flash model has native visual understanding, meaning it can work with visual information as part of the model itself. (DeepSeek API Documentation)
That opens up practical possibilities.
You might give it a screenshot and ask:
“What am I looking at?”
Or show it a chart and ask:
“Explain this to me in simple English.”
Or give it an image containing information and ask it to help interpret what is shown.
Again, the important thing for the ordinary user isn’t how the technology works.
It’s what you can actually do with it.
What made DeepSeek famous?
DeepSeek became a major talking point because its earlier models demonstrated that a relatively new AI company could produce highly capable models while taking a different approach to developing and releasing them.
Its V3 model, released in December 2024, was presented by DeepSeek as an open-source model with strong performance and a focus on efficiency. (DeepSeek)
Then came DeepSeek-R1, which attracted particular attention for its reasoning abilities.
That helped put DeepSeek firmly on the AI map.
But there’s an important lesson here.
Don’t judge today’s AI tools entirely by what you heard about them when they first became famous.
They keep changing.
Is DeepSeek free?
DeepSeek provides a web service and mobile app, as well as an API for developers.
For someone who simply wants to experiment with it, the easiest place to start is the web or app rather than worrying about the technical API side.
The API is a separate service aimed more at developers and businesses building applications with DeepSeek models.
And if you’re not a developer, you can safely ignore that part for now.
So, is DeepSeek another ChatGPT?
In some ways, yes.
You can have a conversation with it, ask questions, get help writing and solve problems.
But that doesn’t mean every AI assistant behaves in exactly the same way.
DeepSeek has developed a particular reputation around reasoning, coding, efficiency and open model development, while its newer models are expanding into visual understanding and more advanced agent-style tasks. (DeepSeek)
That’s exactly why we’re looking at these different AI tools in this series.
You don’t have to use all of them.
You don’t even have to like all of them.
But it’s useful to know what’s available.
My verdict
If you tried DeepSeek last year and haven’t looked at it since, it’s worth taking another look.
The technology has moved on considerably, and the current DeepSeek family is much broader than the version many people first encountered.
For the ordinary user, I’d start simply.
Ask it a question.
Give it a writing task.
Try a reasoning problem.
If you have an image or screenshot, see how it handles that.
And if you’re interested in coding, that’s where you may discover another side of DeepSeek.
You don’t need to become an AI expert.
Just experiment and see whether it is useful to you.
That’s really what this AI Toolbox series is about.
One AI at a time.
The AI Toolbox continues next week…
A practical blog about making money online with AI, beginner-friendly tools, side hustles, and real experiences.”
