Driven by technological advances and growing market acceptance, artificial intelligence has established itself as a strategic element for companies in Brazil. According to a survey by IPSOS and Google, 54% of Brazilians used generative AI in 2024, surpassing the global average of 48%. However, this rapid growth also brings challenges, mainly regarding the security and governance of corporate data.
The arrival of DeepSeek, an open-source Chinese AI chatbot, intensified this debate. Launched discreetly in Brazil in January 2025, the platform quickly gained popularity and became a promising competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. Because while these giants required billion-dollar investments, DeepSeek was created with a significantly smaller budget, raising doubts about the true necessity of these super investments.
The supposed efficiency and performance of the Chinese model suggest that perhaps the AI market may be moving along a more cost-effective path, prompting reflection on the viability of such substantial investments in Western companies, whose business models now seem to be surpassed by more affordable and equally efficient alternatives.
Meanwhile, Deepseek raises critical questions, beyond different ethical sensitivities. The open nature of the platform raises questions regarding security, so companies that use open-source AI need to be attentive to the preservation of their information.
Recently, a Deepseek breach exposed user prompts and API keys, increasing concerns about privacy in the system. Furthermore, several countries, such as Australia, South Korea, Taiwan, the Netherlands, and Italy, have restricted its use due to the risk of sharing information with Chinese servers.
AI in the corporate world: how to balance innovation and security
While some nations adopt a more cautious stance, Brazil is rapidly advancing in the adoption of artificial intelligence. The IPSOS and Google study still shows that 65% of Brazilians see technology as promising, and 60% believe it will create more jobs. Trust in the transformation of the labor market by AI increased from 62% to 68% in one year, while the fear of job loss decreased from 20% to 15%.
For companies, this reality represents both an opportunity and a challenge. The growth of AI use requires a balance between innovation and safety, with guidelines that include a thorough risk assessment, implementation of transparency and governance, team training, and partnerships with reliable suppliers. Adopting technologies like DeepSeek without a solid strategy can expose businesses to regulatory risks, information leaks, and operational instabilities.
Furthermore, non-compliance with local data protection regulations and vulnerability to cyberattacks can compromise the company's integrity, damaging its reputation and customer trust. Therefore, it is essential for organizations to conduct a careful assessment before implementing these technologies, ensuring that their choices are aligned with regulations and the protection of sensitive data, minimizing potential long-term damages.
A strategy that helps companies keep their cybersecurity always up-to-date and efficient, for example, is Security Lifecycle Management (SLM). She ensures that all stages of information protection – from risk identification to incident response – are continuously monitored and improved.
In practice, this means that security is not treated as something static, but rather as a continuous process. New threats emerge all the time, and therefore, it is essential to regularly review, adjust, and strengthen protection measures. The SLM allows organizations to anticipate potential problems and keep their data and systems always protected. In other words, the adoption of AI should be accompanied by clear compliance and security policies, ensuring that its use aligns with corporate objectives and the protection of sensitive data.
Generative artificial intelligence is already part of the Brazilian business reality and will continue to expand in the coming years. The DeepSeek case highlights the need for a critical perspective on security and governance, but also reinforces the transformative potential of AI in the corporate world. Companies that know how to integrate this technology responsibly and strategically will have a competitive advantage, driving innovation and growth without compromising data protection and customer trust.
