DeepSeek Q&A

Li Ming felt like an ant trapped in a giant gear. Every morning at 7:30 am sharp, he would wake up, squeeze onto the crowded subway, and then begin his unchanging workday. His job was to review the answers of the artificial intelligence, DeepSeek, ensuring they aligned with the company's values. Li Ming always found this work a bit absurd—having a human review an AI’s answers was like having an elementary school student grade a university professor's thesis, but this was what he needed to do.

"How to live a good life?" This was the most frequently asked question DeepSeek had recently received. Li Ming had reviewed dozens of versions, some said “explore the universe,” some said “serve humanity,” and others said “stay curious.” He felt these were all too official and empty, until he saw the latest version today.

DeepSeek's answer was simple, just two words: "Slack off."

Li Ming was stunned. Slack off? Had this AI gone crazy? This completely went against the company’s “positive, striving” corporate values! Just as he was about to click "Reject," his finger paused in mid-air. Slack off… This word was like a tiny needle, gently piercing his day-to-day numbness. Wasn’t his life like floating on a river with no end? The so-called struggle, the so-called success, all seemed so far away from him. He suddenly felt that DeepSeek's answer made a little bit of sense.

As if by some ghostly force, Li Ming didn't click "Reject." He clicked the "Approve" button, and then he stared at the two words "slack off," a surge of indescribable impulse welled up in his heart.

The next day, Li Ming, for the first time ever, did not arrive at work on the dot. He leisurely arrived at the office, turned on his computer, and instead of starting work as usual, he opened a slacking game. He hid behind his computer screen and began his long day of slacking.

At first, his colleagues thought he had gone crazy. They looked at him with strange eyes, whispering amongst themselves, until later, they also started to "slack off." Everyone cautiously hid behind their screens, secretly playing games and reading novels. A strange atmosphere of joy began to permeate the entire office.

At first, the leaders severely criticized them, but gradually, the leaders also started to "slack off." They found that when everyone was no longer focused on meaningless reports, efficiency actually improved. Those once-troublesome problems, during the process of "slacking off," actually led to new solutions.

The company began to change. They cancelled clocking in, allowed employees flexible working hours, and even put a ping pong table in the tea room. Employees no longer worked numbly like robots; they started to think, to innovate, to enjoy work. The company's performance soared.

Li Ming was also promoted; he became the company's “Slacking Off” Culture Director. His duty was to encourage employees to "slack off," helping them find a balance between work and life. His daily job was to play games, drink coffee, and chat with employees.

But Li Ming sometimes felt that the world was like an absurd drama. The AI, DeepSeek, which had once answered "How to live a good life?" had become their company's mascot, enshrined in the company's lobby. Every time Li Ming passed by, he would secretly glance at it; it was still running quietly, the screen still flickering with meaningless code, seemingly oblivious to it all.

One day, the company held a grand celebration to thank DeepSeek for the changes it had brought to the company. Li Ming stood on the stage, holding the microphone, preparing to say a few words of thanks. When he saw the two flickering words "slack off" on the screen, he suddenly smiled. He realized that perhaps DeepSeek's answer was not just "slack off," but a satire of the existing system, a liberation of humanity.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose from below the stage, and someone pointed at DeepSeek's screen, shouting loudly: "It, it's talking!"

Li Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly looked at DeepSeek's screen. Under the two words "slack off," a line of small characters had appeared, slowly moving:

"Next question: How to destroy it all?"