Don't Underestimate DeepSeek

1,411,000,000 Reasons DeepSeek Matters

by Josh Brusin , Prxy AI Founder

In 2008 I found myself in Shanghai with a global FCB creative team developing campaigns to pitch for Haier's Olympics campaign. We spent a large amount of time and energy trying to understand our audience. I remember going on in-home visits in high-rise apartments and without getting into details that are admittedly vague after almost 20yrs, suffice it to say, it is a different place. VERY different. Our all-star global creative team was at a loss.

We ended up coming through with great work that hinged on human truths and emotions that resonated across culture because we're really not THAT different at the end of the day but there is real power in understanding and connecting with the little things. With all of our worldly experience and combined intelligence, we could not do that. This is how I look at OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc. It's the best the world has... and it still doesn't really get China. Enter DeepSeek.

The DeepSeek conversation is wide ranging and while its effect on Silicon Valley and worrisome backdoors to the Chinese government are real, it's too simple to look at DeepSeek simply as a Chinese ChatGPT, a cheaper (open source) option. It is much more valuable than that. DeepSeek is a blueprint for the next generation of LLMs.

It's not much of an assumption that DeepSeek is trained on far more Chinese content than any other LLM. If we are looking for a cultural attaché as we build intelligence for global markets, DeepSeek is a fantastic addition as it is tailored to the local language, cultural nuances, and user behavior. All of these leading to insights and intelligence that enhance engagement and relevance.

Understanding Chinese consumers has always been a challenge for global businesses. Their behaviors are shaped by unique regional, and generational culture, as well as a digital ecosystem unlike any other. Enter a LLM like DeepSeek, a cutting-edge tool designed to decode this complexity with precision.

DeepSeek stands apart because it might help us better interpret life through the lens of Chinese culture. While today's frontier models are great at analyzing the emotional pull of “guochao” (patriotic consumerism) or tracking the rapid rise of eco-conscious luxury, LLMs like DeepSeek can help businesses uncover the smaller “whys” behind consumer choices. It can "get" what other LLMs can't. In the words of ChatGPT:

"While I can discuss widely known or general topics about China, I may not have in-depth knowledge of niche or proprietary content specific to Chinese-language sources, like detailed business strategies from less-publicized companies or regional dialect-specific nuances." -ChatGPT

No shock, this power comes with trade-offs. China’s data privacy laws, like the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), limit how data can be stored and shared. For foreign companies, using API-based systems like DeepSeek means operating within tight regulatory frameworks—and likely surrendering control over sensitive data.

Despite these concerns, the rewards can be immense. DeepSeek could finally give companies a window to understand and connect with China’s 1.4 billion consumers on their terms, using insights tailored to local values and behaviors. For businesses that can balance innovation with data security, DeepSeek is more than just another LLM— it’s the house key to one of the world’s most complex markets.

At Prxy AI, we deliver data on what was previously intangible: emotion–mindsets, feelings, and thoughts. We connect these thoughts and feelings to behaviors and actions, making semantic data addressable. It’s a new approach to intelligence — emotion included. Tell us who your customers are and we’ll tell you what they’re thinking (even in China)– PrxyAI.com