Driven by technological advances and growing market acceptance, artificial intelligence has established itself as a strategic element for companies in Brazil. According to a research 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, especially regarding the security and governance of corporate data.
The arrival of DeepSeek, an open-source Chinese AI chatbot, has intensified this debate. Quietly launched in Brazil in January 2025, the platform quickly gained popularity and became a promising competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. After all, while these giants required billion-dollar investments, DeepSeek was created with a significantly leaner budget, raising doubts about the real need for these superinvestments.
The supposed efficiency and performance of the Chinese model suggest that perhaps the AI market may be advancing along a more economical path, leading to reflections on the viability of such massive investments in Western companies, whose business models now seem to be surpassed by more accessible and equally efficient alternatives.
However, Deepseek raises critical questions, beyond ethical sensitivities. The open nature of the platform raises questions regarding security, therefore, companies using open-source AI need to be vigilant in preserving their information.
Recently, a Deepseek flaw exposed user prompts and API keys, raising concerns about privacy in the system. Moreover, 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: balancing innovation and security
While some nations adopt a more cautious approach, Brazil is rapidly advancing in the adoption of artificial intelligence. The IPSOS and Google study also shows that 65% of Brazilians see the technology as promising, and 60% believe it will create more jobs. Confidence in AI transforming the job market grew from 62% to 68% in one year, while the fear of job loss dropped from 20% to 15%.
For businesses, this reality represents both an opportunity and a challenge. The growth in AI usage requires a balance between innovation and security, with guidelines that include meticulous risk assessment, transparency and governance implementation, team empowerment, 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 standards and vulnerability to cyber-attacks can compromise a company’s integrity, damaging its reputation and customer trust. Therefore, it is essential for organizations to conduct a careful evaluation before implementing these technologies, ensuring their choices are aligned with regulations and sensitive data protection, 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). It ensures that all stages of information protection – from risk identification to incident response – are constantly monitored and improved.
In practice, this means that security is not treated as something static, but as a continuous process. New threats emerge all the time, and therefore, it is essential to review, adjust, and strengthen protection measures regularly. SLM allows organizations to anticipate possible issues and keep their data and systems always protected. In other words, adopting AI must be accompanied by clear compliance and security policies, ensuring that its use is aligned 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 case of DeepSeek highlights the need for a critical look at security and governance, but also reinforces the transformative potential of AI in the corporate world. Companies that can integrate this technology responsibly and strategically will have a competitive advantage, driving innovation and growth without compromising data protection and customer confidence.
