3 in 10 Indian users have switched to DeepSeek or will soon do so: Survey

DeepSeek a lowcost Chinese artificial intelligence AI foundational model has sparked fierce competition in AI leading to increased adoption by Indian users A recent survey by LocalCircles has revealed that the emergence of DeepSeek is driving a shift among Indian users According to the survey findings nearly 30 per cent of AI platform users in India have either switched to DeepSeek or are considering doing so soonAlso 1 in 2 Indian internet users surveyed are already using AI platforms and 66 per cent of those who use AI platforms is for finding information while 25 per cent users use them to summarise documents or other use cases ChatGPT is the most widely used among those surveyedThe survey indicates 18 per cent Indian AI users surveyed find information generated through AI platforms to be inaccurate and 36 per cent find it to be high in accuracyThe survey which gathered responses from 15753 AI platform users found that 8 per cent had already migrated to DeepSeek while another 15 per cent were willing to switch unless other platforms started offering advanced features for free Additionally 8 per cent stated they would switch regardless of other factors while 38 per cent remained loyal to their current AI platformsChatGPT remains the most popular AI tool in IndiaThe survey revealed that despite the growing interest in DeepSeek OpenAIrsquos ChatGPT continues to be the most widely used AI platform in India The survey which received 15377 responses found that 28 per cent of respondents primarily use ChatGPT followed by 9 per cent using Perplexity 6 per cent relying on CoPilot via Bing and 3 per cent using Gemini via Google Notably 40 per cent of respondents preferred traditional search engines like Google over AIpowered toolsThe data highlights that while AI adoption is on the rise a significant portion of Indian internet users still rely on conventional search methodsAccuracy of AIgenerated information Majority find it reliableWith AI platforms increasingly being used for information retrieval the survey sought to understand user perceptions of accuracy Among the 15457 respondents 36 per cent found AIgenerated information to be highly accurate with 8 per cent rating it as ldquoextremely accuraterdquo and 20 per cent as ldquomostly accuraterdquo Another 40 per cent found AI responses to be ldquosomewhat accuraterdquoHowever 18 per cent expressed concerns over the reliability of AIgenerated information with 9 per cent stating it was ldquomostly inaccuraterdquo and another 9 per cent finding it ldquoquite inaccuraterdquo This indicates that while AI tools are gaining trust there is still room for improvement in terms of data accuracy and reliabilityTextBased AI interactions dominate over voice inputsDespite the growing availability of voiceenabled AI assistants Indian users overwhelmingly prefer textbased interactions The survey found that 90 per cent of AI users primarily input their queries through text while only 10 per cent use voice commandsAI usage trends in India Information retrieval takes the leadThe survey also examined the various ways in which Indians use AI tools Among the 15038 respondents 66 per cent stated they primarily use AI for looking up information Additionally 25 per cent use AI to find information that is not easily accessible through traditional search engines while another 25 per cent use AI tools for summarising documentsOther popular use cases include writing assistance 9 per cent image and video enhancement 9 per cent each and other specialised applications 16 per cent These findings indicate that AI is still largely viewed as an advanced search tool rather than a fullfledged productivity assistantPaid AI Subscriptions 3 in 10 Users Opt for Premium ServicesWhile many AI platforms offer free services a growing number of users are subscribing to premium features The survey found that 30 per cent of AI users in India have a paid subscription with 9 per cent subscribing to a single AI platform and 21 per cent paying for two or more platforms However a majoritymdash70 per centmdashcontinue to rely on free AI servicesThe future of AI in MumbaiThe findings indicate that AI adoption in Mumbai is growing rapidly with 62 per cent of internet users in the city already utilising AI platforms As AI technology continues to evolve platforms offering free advanced features like DeepSeek may challenge established players like ChatGPT Gemini and PerplexityWhen asked if DeepSeek can challenge established AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini in the competitive AI landscape Sachin Taparia the founder of LocalCircles told MidDay ldquoFrom an India context I see DeepSeek being a challenger to other established AI platforms if they offer a better or at par intelligent model and premium services available to users without a paid subscription or one that is significantly lower costShedding light on what are the biggest technical or ethical challenges new AI models like DeepSeek face in gaining user trust the LocalCircles founder said ldquoThe biggest challenge I see is keeping the model focused on truth and biasfree while keeping pace with latest innovations This is critical to longterm user trust and usagerdquoWhen asked if AI models become more sophisticated and what risks users should be aware of Taparia said ldquoI see AI being an excellent mechanism that will improve productivity and earnings for those using it At the same time the risks of cyber fraud financial crimes impersonation or imagevideo misuse will rise People will also start demanding better safety from their banks brokerage platforms etcrdquoExpert speaksAkshat Khetan a cyberlegal expert and Founder of AU Corporate Advisory and Legal Services AUCL said that independent research on AI usage in Mumbai is still sparse However surveys such as LocalCircles might provide valuable insightsAIpowered tools are becoming increasingly popular yet many users continue to rely on traditional search engines More localized research is needed to better understand uptake across populations As AI integration grows tracking usage trends will help businesses and policymakers make more educated decisions Khetan saidSpeaking about gaining popularity of DeepSeek Khetan said DeepSeek has the ability to compete but it confronts stiff competition from ChatGPT Gemini and CoPilot who have established user bases and brand confidence To compete with these platforms DeepSeek must provide higher accuracy realtime information access and regional language support Differentiation through innovation cost and smooth interfaces may help it establish market momentum However without significant technology breakthroughs or distinguishing qualities competing with industry leaders will be toughHe further said that new AI models must overcome technical challenges like accuracy contextual understanding and reducing bias Ethical concerns include misinformation data privacy and transparency in AIgenerated content Users may hesitate to trust new platforms without clear policies on responsible AI use Additionally AIrsquos susceptibility to manipulation and DeepSeek generation remains a concern Overcoming these challenges requires strong governance accountability and user awareness initiatives Khetan addedWhile speaking about risks users can face in future the cyberlegal expert said that while AI improves productivity it also introduces hazards such as misinformation privacy breaches and security vulnerabilities Overreliance on AI for decisionmaking may result in diminished human oversight and critical thinking AIpowered automation may also affect professions necessitating skill adaptability Ethical considerations include AI output biases and the possibility of harmful use such as DeepSeek scams Responsible AI regulation and user knowledge are critical for mitigating hazards Khetan addedThe cyberlegal expert said that users should be wary of misinformation biased AI replies and data privacy concerns AIgenerated content may appear persuasive but it can also be deceptive or wrong Increased automation may lead to job displacement in certain industries Cyber threats including AIpowered scams and DeepSeek technology are growing concerns Staying informed and critically evaluating AIgenerated material will be essential for safe and responsible AI use Khetan addedMethodology and insights on LocalCircles survey execution1 What is LocalCirclesLocalCircles is a community social media platform that enables citizens and small businesses to escalate issues for policy and enforcement interventions and enables the Government to make policies that are citizenand smallbusinesscentric2 How was the survey carried out Who were the respondents And what was the statistical margin of errorThis national survey on artificial intelligence usage was conducted using the proprietary LocalCircles stratified sampling methodology With a minimum target of 25per cent participation from three location groups Tier 1 Tier 2 and Tier 35 and rural districts on each poll all polls were run After the minimum participation criteria were met all polls were run till they achieved a steady state Post achievement of steady state the LocalCircles system using the bootstrapping technique drew additional samples to test for the margin of error All polls were found to have a margin of error under 3per cent and a confidence level of over 97 per centThe survey received over 92000 responses from citizens located in 309 districts of India For Mumbai over 12000 responses64 per cent of respondents were men while 36 per cent of respondents were women 45 per cent of respondents were from tier 1 31 per cent from tier 2 and 24 per cent of respondents were from tier 3 4 5 and rural districts The survey was conducted via the LocalCircles platform and all participants were validated citizens who had to be registered with LocalCircles to participate in this survey