The Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek is attracting worldwide attention with its innovative AI models. This opens up new opportunities for European companies to use this technology profitably.
But what is actually behind DeepSeek?
A start-up founded in China two years ago specializes in developing AI-supported chatbots and language models. Businesses use these tools for text processing, analysis, and automated translations. They also apply them to data analysis across various industries, including sales and production, while optimizing and automating processes within companies (Hohensee, 2025) (Uren & Walsh, 2025).
DeepSeek is currently receiving worldwide media attention for its AI solution. But what makes the young start-up so special? And what impact can this development have on European companies?
This blog post examines how the startup is influencing Europe, which professions can particularly benefit from the AI solution and which risks play a role here.
What makes DeepSeek so special as an AI chatbot?
Although DeepSeek offers similar AI solutions to ChatGPT from OpenAI or Gemini from Google, the Chinese start-up currently stands out. This may be due to the fact that it differs from leading chatbots in two key respects:
DeepSeek offers the use of the AI model free of charge, whereas you have to pay a subscription for other chatbots or can only use the outdated versions free of charge.
The energy consumption differs considerably. While a Google search requires an average of 0.3 watt hours, a ChatGPT query consumes around 2.9 watt hours, almost ten times as much (Trindade Pereira, 2025). DeepSeek, in contrast, employs a more efficient model that consumes significantly less energy, with an estimated usage of 0.07 to 0.29 watt hours per search (Marshall, 2025). This makes development and use more environmentally friendly.
This is how DeepSeek can relieve employees:
DeepSeek can benefit companies and support them in many ways. With its system, the AI model can help to increase productivity and relieve employees in various areas by automating tasks.
- Companies use it to write individual emails to customers, personalize the customer experience, and reduce personnel costs (DeepSeek For Companies – Revolution Or Legal Risk?, n.d.).
- Companies can tailor product placements to individual preferences and integrate customer interactions, accelerating processes.
- DeepSeek can help companies to reduce costs. For example, optimizing and analyzing stock levels allows companies to allocate resources strategically, preventing overproduction and bottlenecks.
- The AI start-up increases the competitiveness of companies. Data-driven decisions mean that action can be taken more quickly. As a result, companies that use DeepSeek for this purpose can react more quickly to market trends with the help of trend analyses or risk assessments and therefore function more agilely.
- Finally, the start-up is helping to improve innovation cycles. AI enables companies to conduct tests and simulations, shortening development time and accelerating the launch of new products (DeepSeek For Companies – Revolution Or Legal Risk?, n.d.).
Dangers that DeepSeek can bring for companies:
DeepSeek offers many advantages, but European companies must also consider challenges. Europe-wide regulations can be an obstacle. The EU’s AI Act sets strict guidelines on artificial intelligence, outlining clear obligations for AI providers and users (EU AI Act: European AI Regulation and Its Implementation, n.d.). Data protection laws limit the transfer of customer information to AI tools, complicating automated customer contact (Europe’s AI Companies See DeepSeek as a Beacon of Hope, 2025). Companies must ensure that their AI models are traceable, non-discriminatory and compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation. Transparent algorithms are essential in sensitive fields like finance and healthcare (AI Act: First Regulation of Artificial Intelligence, 2025)
Another major challenge is the ethical use of DeepSeek. AI models often learn from data that reflects societal prejudices, limiting their responses to stereotypes and distorting their answers.
The possibility of incorrect AI assessments must therefore be taken into account. Companies must check for biases or distortions (AI AS A MIRROR OF OUR SOCIETY: STEREOTYPE AND LIMITS, 2024). Human review ensures AI does not make decisions alone but validates them. An internal ethics committee with clear guidelines on the use of AI could help to overcome this obstacle.
The use of AI is changing the labor market. DeepSeek can replace tasks and entire jobs, which means that professions are no longer needed. Companies need to be aware of this and invest in retraining and further training at an early stage to prepare employees for this change. Specialized teams can be set up to deal specifically with the integration of the AI system.
Despite these challenges, DeepSeek offers great potential for companies in the future. They can make good use of the AI system by integrating it into internal processes at an early stage. AI systems should complement existing processes rather than function as separate solutions, enhancing overall efficiency. Companies should also ensure that they have high-quality data that they can use to make the best possible use of the system.
Conclusion: Is DeepSeek revolutionizing companies in Europe?
In conclusion, DeepSeek is a promising AI company whose impact on European companies is not yet fully foreseeable.
Companies that want to remain competitive should therefore seize this opportunity and integrate it into their existing processes in order to secure an advantage in the market. The integration of AI and investment in employee training offers many advantages in the long term. Those who adapt to this change at an early stage will be able to secure a decisive competitive advantage in the future.
