Russian State TV Duped by Fake Report on DeepSeek AI’s ‘Soviet Code’ Origins

Moscow: Russian state television has come under scrutiny after mistakenly broadcasting a satirical news story that falsely claimed China’s DeepSeek AI was built on a secret Soviet-era algorithm. The fabricated report, initially published by ‘Panorama’—a Russian satire website, was treated as genuine news by Rossiya One, one of Russia’s leading national television channels.

The false claim suggested that DeepSeek’s advanced AI technology was based on a classified Soviet code developed in 1985 by a team of programmers led by Viktor Glushkov, a renowned Soviet scientist. The fictional interview with DeepSeek’s founder, Liang Wenfeng, further fueled speculation that Russia’s AI advancements had been stolen by China and were now reshaping the global tech landscape.

Viral Sensation and Nationalist Reactions

The fake report quickly went viral, spreading across influential social media channels and even gaining traction among Russian political figures. Veteran Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov amplified the story, posting on Telegram:

"Not only was the Soviet Union the most educated and advanced country. The Soviet Union was a scientific and technological civilization."

The post was later deleted, but not before it sparked a wave of nostalgia for the Soviet Union’s technological dominance.

DeepSeek’s AI Breakthrough vs. Russia’s AI Position

While the false report glorified Soviet-era contributions to AI, the reality is that Russia lags behind in AI innovation. According to the Global AI Index by Tortoise Media, Russia ranks 31st out of 83 countries in AI development, investment, and implementation—falling behind not only the United States and China but also India and Brazil.

Meanwhile, DeepSeek’s AI breakthrough has stunned the global tech industry, as its latest model costs just $6 million, a fraction of the billions invested in AI by the US tech giants. Additionally, DeepSeek’s R1 has demonstrated impressive efficiency, requiring far less computing power than OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

DeepSeek vs. ChatGPT: Disrupting the AI Landscape

DeepSeek’s recent success in surpassing ChatGPT as the top-ranked free app on Apple’s App Store has put the AI world on edge. While US companies have poured billions into AI research, DeepSeek’s low-cost, high-efficiency model has challenged the industry’s existing investment strategies.

Lessons from the Fake Report

The Russian state media’s misstep highlights a growing challenge in verifying AI-related news, particularly when nationalist sentiment is at play. The incident underscores the power of disinformation, especially in an era where technological advancements have become intertwined with geopolitical narratives.

As DeepSeek continues to reshape the AI industry, the real story is not its fictional Soviet origins, but China’s rapid ascent in artificial intelligence—a development that Russia, and much of the world, is closely watching.