Chinas DeepSeek AI chatbot doesnt exactly have the best of reputations. It has exposed chat history and other sensitive data; the iOS app has been shown to have multiple security flaws; is under investigation in both the US and Europe; and ARMs CEO believes it will end up being banned in the US.But none of this has stopped Apple CEO Tim Cook describing it as excellent during a visit to Beijing for the China Development Forum Chinas DeepSeekDeepSeek is an AI chatbot developed in China which quickly climbed tothe #1 slot in Apples App Store.China posted benchmarks indicating that its performance was comparable to the worlds best existing models. Experts quickly verified the claims, expressing shock that China was able to achieve this at a fraction of the development cost of US models, and running locally on very modestly-specced PCs though it was later suggested the cost differential was exaggerated.Privacy concerns quickly led to investigations being opened in both the US and Europe.US officials are looking at the national security implications of the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said [while] Italys data protection authority said it was seeking answers from DeepSeek on its use of personal data.The additional issues described above then followed.Tim Cook in ChinaCook is visiting the country to participate in the China Development Forum, and has been sharing his visit in a series of Weibo posts.Hello, Beijing! I cant think of a better way to kick off my time in China than a beautiful walk with Yang Tianzhen. Thanks AlexJ for capturing the view on your iPhone!Henry Lau may be a one-man band, but with iPhone 16 Pro Max as his companion, he turns every stage into a full-blown concert. Thank you for sharing your incredible talent with us!It is amazing to see iPad and Mac help rural teachers deliver engaging lessons to their students. Were proudly expanding our work with CDRF because we know education can create opportunities for rural communities in China.Physics class has come a long way! Excited to see educators push the boundaries of learning with Apple Vision Pro!Were proud to announce a new clean energy fund in China! Two thirds of our supply chain here is already running on renewable energy and this will help further our goal of running on 100% renewable energy by 2030.Thanks Chun Xiao for sharing how you captured the traditional art of the Kun Opera through the modern lens of iPhone 16 Pro!Cook calls DeepSeek excellentThe South China Morning Post reports that he called DeepSeek excellent when speaking to state media.Cook recommended the artificial intelligence models of Chinese start-up DeepSeek ahead of a developer conference in Shanghai, as the US tech giant awaits final approval to bring Apple Intelligence to iPhones on the mainland.Speaking on the sidelines of the China Development Forum in Beijing, a state-organised forum to woo global investors, the executive told the official China News Service that DeepSeeks models were excellent, the outlet reported on Sunday. Cook did not elaborate.9to5Macs TakeApples dependence on China as its primary manufacturing center, as well as for a very large slice of its sales, means that Cook is frequently forced to make diplomatic remarks about the country, no matter how much its policies and actions may conflict with the iPhone makers values.One of the major compromises Apple had to make was to partner with a local company for the launch of Apple Intelligence in China, with all of the political censorship that will involve. The government had made it crystal clear that this was not optional.It seems likely Cook was asked to comment on DeepSeek, and gave the shortest possible diplomatic answer.Image: 9to5Mac collage of photos from AlexJ/Apple and Solen FeyissaonUnsplashAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel