DeepSeek

What it is

DeepSeek AI is a conversational AI platform developed in China with the goal of making  advanced AI more open, efficient, and accessible. By emphasizing openness and  affordability, DeepSeek aims to make AI something people can build with, not just consume  from. 

The company’s flagship models have drawn global attention for achieving high performance  with far lower computational costs, showing that innovation in AI can also come from 

efficiency and design. Instead of relying on massive infrastructure, it focuses on optimization,  activating only relevant portions of the model for each task, dramatically reducing  computational demands. 

With DeepSeek, developers, researchers, students, and marketers can be Positionsless by  accessing sophisticated AI capabilities without requiring extensive computational resources,  specialized expertise, or even financial resources, as the platform's pricing is notably  competitive, making AI economically viable for projects of any scale. 

As in Perplexity and paid versions of ChatGPT, in DeepSeek (both free and paid versions),  the answers can be traced back to their origin. This is further enhanced by its continuous  internet connectivity, which ensures the information reflects the most current developments,  a critical asset for dynamic fields like scientific research and market analysis. 

Uses and features of DeepSeek

Here you can find an overview of prominent DeepSeek capabilities, how people use it daily, and how it can be useful to different roles:  

• Multimodal data processing: It can understand and analyze text, images, PDFs,  charts, spreadsheets, and other files simultaneously. 
• Natural language understanding and conversational AI: Built for human-like  dialogue, DeepSeek maintains context over long exchanges and interprets nuanced  or multilingual prompts. It’s ideal for customer support, education, or any task  requiring natural communication. 
• Chain-of-Thought transparency: The model explains its reasoning process step by  step before giving an answer, improving transparency and logical accuracy.
• Real-time searching control: DeepSeek provides users with a "search the web  now" function that, when activated, grants answers based on the very latest  information available online. Users can turn it off to get abstract thinking and  synthesis rather than information retrieval, to have uploaded files analyzed without  any risk of external contamination, or to access consolidated foundational  knowledge.
• API Integration: It provides a developer API for reasoning, content creation, coding,  and workflow automation. It enables users to interact naturally or integrate AI directly  into apps and systems, enhancing productivity across roles.
• Advanced code generation and debugging: Its specialized coder models can  write, review, and optimize code in multiple languages like Python, Java, and  JavaScript. With long context windows of up to 128,000 tokens, it can process large  repositories and complex development tasks.
• Function Calling and Developer Features: DeepSeek supports advanced  developer features, including Function Calling, JSON Output, and Fill-in-the-Middle  (FIM) Completion, and is fully compatible with OpenAI API formats. These features  allow developers to connect DeepSeek with databases, apps, or automation tools, so  the AI can trigger real actions, such as fetching data, sending emails, or updating  systems based on user prompts.
• Cost-efficient Intelligence: Designed with efficiency in mind, DeepSeek offers  enterprise-grade AI at a fraction of the typical cost. Its combination of performance,  openness, and small entry barrier makes it a viable tool for projects of any size. 
• Open-Source and Accessible Ecosystem: DeepSeek maintains open-source  models such as DeepSeek LLMs 7B and 67B, as well as DeepSeek-Coder,  promoting transparency and collaboration. This approach helps researchers and  small teams experiment freely with cutting-edge technology and permits companies  to self-host it. 
• Translation and language bridging: DeepSeek doesn't just translate words literally;  it conveys meaning, tone, and nuance between languages

Try this prompt out to...

... use DeepSeek to debug a code for you! 

"Subject: Debugging Assistance for [Your Language/Framework, e.g., Python,  JavaScript, React] 

• The Problem & Expected Behavior 

  • What I'm trying to do: [Describe the goal or feature you are implementing.  e.g., "I'm trying to fetch user data from an API and display it in a list."]
  • What I expect to happen: [Describe the expected, correct outcome. e.g.,  "When the page loads, a list of usernames should appear."]

• The Error & Actual Behavior 

  • What actually happens: Describe the incorrect outcome. Be specific. e.g.,  "The page is blank, and I see a TypeError in the console." OR "The list  appears, but all the items are 'undefined'."]
  • Full error message (Copy-Paste): [PASTE THE COMPLETE ERROR MESSAGE FROM YOUR CONSOLE/TERMINAL  HERE, including stack traces]

• The Code

  • Relevant code snippet(s): [PASTE YOUR CODE HERE. Please include a few lines before and after the area  you think the problem is in. If it's a short file, include the whole thing.]
  • **File/Component name (**if applicable): [e.g., UserList.js, main.py, app.py]

• What I've Tried & Investigated 

  • My debugging steps so far: [List what you've already attempted. This  prevents me from suggesting things you've already done. e.g., "I've checked the API response in Postman, and it returns data correctly. I've used  console.log to verify the data is received in the function. I searched for the  error online and found a suggestion about async/await, but I'm already using  it."]
  • My hypotheses: [What do you think might be wrong? e.g., "I suspect the  issue is with how I'm mapping over the data array, or maybe the state isn't  updating properly."]

• Environment & Context

  • Language & Version: [e.g., Node.js v18, Python 3.11, React 18]
  • Framework/Libraries: [e.g., Express.js, Django, pandas, React]
  • OS: [e.g., Windows 11, macOS Sonoma, Ubuntu 22.04]
  • Browser (if applicable): [e.g., Chrome 119, Firefox 120]"

Common mistakes made and limitations

Get to know where DeepSeek falls short, and how users tend to misuse it: 

• Hallucinations and fabricated information: like all generative AI, it can invent  confident responses, even when presented with questions containing implausible  premises. Instead of identifying logical impossibilities, the model can construct  elaborate but entirely fictional answers.
• Bias risks: DeepSeek faces concerns about how it approaches political content, especially those sensitive to China, which can lead to biased responses depending  on the topic or language.
• Forgetting to turn the "web search" on: this can impact the accuracy of answers  on topics that require real-time updating.
• Security vulnerabilities: Some analyses find that the R1 model or earlier versions  lack strong constraint mechanisms, making them vulnerable to “jailbreak” or misuse  by malicious prompts.
• Limited multimodal data processing: DeepSeek can't process audio or video files, video links, nor "understand" images embedded in presentations, Word, or PDF files.  • Technical deployment complexity: self-hosting DeepSeek requires more technical  expertise to deploy it, significant GPU resources for larger versions, and manual  implementation of security features and guardrails, when compared to API-based  models.
• Data jurisdiction / compliance mismatches: User data being stored in China  means some legal frameworks may not apply or may conflict.
• Different levels of proficiency: While highly capable in many major languages, its  proficiency is generally highest in English. Its performance in less common  languages might be less nuanced or occasionally contain errors. It has a good grasp  of cultural context for many global languages, but it may not have the deep, localized  understanding of a native human from all specific regions.

Tips to avoid common mistakes

These tips can help users navigate DeepSeek's capabilities, while mitigating its limitations and maximizing its effectiveness.

• Use precise prompts: like in other AI conversational tools, include relevant context, specify desired output formats, and provide examples, when possible, to guide the model effectively.
• Set constraints and guardrails in prompts: Use system instructions, safety filters, and boundary conditions (e.g. “don’t hallucinate,” “cite sources,” “refuse if uncertain”) to reduce bad outputs.
• Double-check outputs: validate them using external sources, especially regarding politics and world history. You can also use DeepSeek's web search tool and check the sources individually.
• Be mindful of jurisdiction and compliance rules: If your use case has legal or compliance constraints (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.), carefully analyze whether DeepSeek’s data practices align.
• Avoid sharing sensitive data: as in other AI platforms, don’t feed DeepSeek with business or personal confidential information.
• Prompt testing: Before deploying prompts at scale, run them in a controlled environment to detect potential misbehavior.
• Rely on best practices to use the open-source model: Regularly check metrics like accuracy, speed, and resource usage. For ongoing guidance and updates, refer to the official documentation and join community forums.

When should non-experts call experts?

Even with a powerful AI tool like DeepSeek, there are times when guidance from a specialist  is essential. 

• Complex technical architecture or integration: When you need to architect AI  pipelines, choose models, manage scaling, or integrate with existing systems, a  machine learning engineer or AI architect should be involved.
• High-stakes domains (legal, medical, financial): For any output that could affect  legal liability, health, or money, you need subject matter experts to review, validate,  or intervene.
• Security or compliance regimes: If your project must comply with regulatory  frameworks (e.g. GDPR, HIPAA, industry regulations), you should consult legal /  security professionals to ensure correct handling of data and AI responsibilities.
• Prompt engineering or advanced model customization: For more optimized  models (fine-tuning, prompt chaining, tool use), an AI or prompt engineering expert  can help get better results than a generic user.
• Addressing misuse, bias, or ethical risk: If the output might be controversial or  sensitive, or you suspect misuse (e.g. disinformation, biased content), an ethics or AI  governance expert should review.

Notes on pricing

DeepSeek is a completely free AI assistant that provides powerful, unrestricted access to its  core functionalities. This includes its advanced models for writing, coding, and data review,  all within a generous 128k context window for handling extensive tasks. You also get  integrated features like web search and file uploads for comprehensive research and  analysis—all available at no cost, with no premium plans required. 

How Optimove's Positionless Marketing Platform Can Help

Optimove’s Positionless Marketing Platform, combined with DeepSeek’s intelligent  automation and reasoning capabilities, empowers marketers to move faster and think more  independently. DeepSeek can analyze vast amounts of customers, campaigns, and content  data through natural language, while Optimove turns those insights into personalized actions  across channels. Together, they allow teams to skip repetitive reporting and approval cycles,  generate strategy-ready insights instantly, and act with confidence. The result is a more self sufficient and data-driven marketing operation, where decisions are guided by real-time  intelligence rather than organizational bottlenecks.