AI development is accelerating at a dizzying pace, and DeepSeek R1 has entered the fray with some impressive capabilities—particularly when it comes to code generation. But while it shows great promise, my experience so far has highlighted some significant shortcomings that make it difficult to rely on as a daily tool.
In short: it’s excellent at writing code but lacks memory, struggles under heavy traffic, and falls short in features compared to ChatGPT. That said, it’s still early days, and I fully expect it (and its competitors) to improve rapidly in response to this new player in the AI space.
Let’s break it down.
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DeepSeek R1’s Strengths: Code Generation That Delivers
If there’s one thing DeepSeek R1 does well, it’s writing code. It understands logic, structures its output cleanly, and rarely makes glaring errors. When I tested it with various programming tasks, it consistently produced high-quality results, whether I was asking for Python scripts, PHP functions, or HTML/CSS layouts.
Unlike some AI models that occasionally hallucinate syntax errors or misunderstand a prompt, DeepSeek R1 tends to get things right the first time. It also provides well-commented code, explaining why it structured things the way it did—something that can be invaluable when learning new concepts or debugging complex logic.
However, while its raw code output is impressive, using it for iterative development is another story…
The Downside: Memory? What Memory?
One of the biggest frustrations with DeepSeek R1 is its lack of memory across conversations. Every time I start a new chat, it forgets everything from our previous discussions.
For example, if I ask it to generate a function and then return later with modifications, I have to re-explain everything from scratch—what the function does, what constraints I have, and what changes I need. This makes it nearly impossible to have an efficient back-and-forth coding session without constantly repeating myself.
Now, I suspect this might change with a paid plan (if they introduce one), but as things stand, it’s a major limitation for anyone who needs an AI that remembers context across multiple queries. This is an area where ChatGPT—especially the paid version—has a massive advantage.
Availability Issues: Too Busy to Help
At the time of writing, DeepSeek R1 is next to unusable for me simply because it’s overloaded with traffic.
Trying to access it feels like playing an AI-powered game of whack-a-mole—sometimes you get in, but more often than not, you’re met with delays or an outright failure to respond. This isn’t uncommon for new AI models (we saw similar issues when ChatGPT first launched), and I expect this will stabilise over time.
But right now? It’s unreliable.
Even if I wanted to use it as a daily coding assistant, I couldn’t, because half the time it’s not available when I need it. For professionals who require a dependable tool, this makes it a non-starter at the moment.
Compared to ChatGPT: Missing Key Features
While DeepSeek R1 is an excellent coder, it’s far less useful in other ways.
Here are two major features I rely on that it simply doesn’t support:
- Image Generation – DeepSeek R1 won’t create images for me, whereas ChatGPT can generate high-quality AI art with DALL·E. This is a deal-breaker for certain tasks.
- File Handling & Compression – One of the features I often use is combining files into a ZIP archive for easy download. DeepSeek R1 doesn’t support this, making it less useful for organising and packaging resources efficiently.
For an AI model to be truly useful, it needs to be a multi-purpose assistant, not just a specialist in one area. DeepSeek R1 feels too narrowly focused on code generation at the moment, which limits its versatility compared to more established AI assistants.
Seeing What It’s Thinking – Useful or Just a Gimmick?
One unique feature of DeepSeek R1 is that it lets you see what it’s thinking in real-time. As it processes a prompt, you can watch its internal “thoughts” unfold, step by step.
At first glance, this is fascinating, even entertaining. Watching an AI work through a problem can feel like peering inside the mind of a machine—something we’re not used to seeing. It gives insight into its reasoning process, which might help explain why it reaches certain conclusions.
But is it actually useful?
Maybe.
In theory, being able to see its thoughts could allow users to intervene mid-process, providing additional guidance or corrections before it finalises its response. For example, if you notice it misunderstanding your prompt, you might be able to tweak your instructions before it generates something completely off-track.
In practice, though, I’m not sure how much real impact this has.
Right now, you can’t actually edit or adjust its thought process—you can only observe it. If future updates allow users to influence the AI mid-response, then this could be game-changing. Until then, it feels more like an interesting novelty than a genuinely useful feature.
Still, it’s a step in an intriguing direction. If AI models become more transparent about their decision-making, it could lead to better collaboration between humans and machines.
The Future: Competition Breeds Innovation
Despite its flaws, I’m very interested to see how DeepSeek R1 matures over the coming months. The AI space is evolving at an astonishing rate, and competition like this forces every company to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
- Memory & Personalisation – If DeepSeek R1 improves its ability to retain user preferences and context, it could become a serious contender.
- Infrastructure & Scalability – If they resolve the availability issues, it’ll be a lot easier to integrate into real workflows.
- Expanding Feature Set – If it adds things like file handling, image generation, or more general-purpose capabilities, it might start to rival ChatGPT as a daily AI assistant.
The key takeaway? Right now, DeepSeek R1 is an intriguing but incomplete product.
It excels at what it does best—writing code—but until it improves in other areas, it won’t be replacing ChatGPT for me anytime soon. That said, its existence will undoubtedly push other AI systems to innovate, meaning all of us benefit in the long run.
The AI arms race is well and truly on.
Final Thoughts: Would I Use It Daily?
- For coding help? Yes, if it was more reliable.
- For general AI assistance? No, it lacks too many features I use regularly.
- Will I keep an eye on it? Absolutely—this is one to watch.
DeepSeek R1 isn’t quite there yet, but it’s a sign of where AI is heading. If competition really does drive innovation, we’re about to see some incredible advancements across all AI platforms. Buckle up!
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