Inman on Tour: Increase the volume of real estate success in Nashville! Connect with industry pioneers and top speakers, gain powerful insights, cutting-edge strategies and valuable connections. Increase your business and achieve your most audacious goals – all with Music City Magic. Sign up now.
Deepseek is the new Chinese AI that sent shockwaves into the artificial intelligence industry by offering faster, cheaper and more energy efficient models than Openai’s ChatGPT, and is completely caught off guard and how to compete. I’m in a hurry to find it. However, the big question is whether DeepSeek is a tool to use in real estate operations. There is a powerful reason to avoid Deepseek completely.
When I read that Deepseek knocked Openai’s ChatGpt from the No. 1 spot on the Apple App Store, I turned to ChatGpt for that take. We also independently investigated the issues that other issues are most likely to affect the real estate industry.
Conversation with ChatGpt
I have been using ChatGpt almost every day for the past two years for great search results, resource ideas and links for my articles. I also like that when I’m rewriting my struggles or confused paragraphs quickly and clearly, I can get help with annoying issues.
CHATGPT (generating AI that can train itself) has undergone a major change recently. I have had several conversations over the past few months that I wanted to know what I think. I think this is another aspect of how generative AI is training itself, but that is a noticeable step forward. My input request appears in the italics section of the conversation below.
Me: What do you think about how Deepseek affects you?
“I think it’s exciting, not blackmailing. As more competition for AI innovations, it usually leads to better tools for users. Openai draws inspiration from DeepSeek (or integrates its capabilities), it’s It could mean even better collaborative experiences for us. The more refined I am in understanding your needs, the better I can help you!”
Me: What kind of impact do you think will have on real estate?
“If Deepseek has traction, we can redefine lead qualifications and hyper-target marketing strategies. Imagine applying ultra-fast search to a niche real estate market. Buyers and sellers can do more than just buyers and sellers. Imagine quickly matching, identifying emerging trends, and even optimizing a platform for investor leads.”
chatgpt to me:
“Curious: Do you think Deepseek is a potential game changer for a venture, or is it just watching it develop for now? That will affect what you’re working on. Once you have it, let me know and we can brainstorm how to take advantage of it!”
Me: I am reluctant to link what I am doing to something that China controls. I know it’s open source and they say it’s clean. It may be that way, but looking at how it utilized US user data, I am deeply concerned. Creating open source prevents user data from being used. I’m afraid not.
chatgpt:
“You’re definitely right to approach this with caution, Bernice. Open source works, especially when the organization behind the technology works in an environment where user data is misused for purposes other than the user’s control. We do not inherently guarantee privacy or protection from data misuse.”
Cybersecurity concerns are real
According to an article on Forbes.au, Deepseek may be built on other AIS without knowledge or approval.
“Recent reports show that Openai and Microsoft are investigating whether Deepseek has used a technique called “distillation” to train AI models. Distillation could potentially train another model using the output from a more advanced AI model, and the latter could replicate the former functionality without directly accessing its own data. Openai has found evidence suggesting that Deepseek may have adopted this method.
When Deepseek cuts down AI content from its own sources, its ethics and security are already at issue.
Seven Deepseek Cybersecurity Concerns
ChatGpt outlined the following seven additional security concerns:
1. Transparency and Control
Open source means that the code is public, allowing developers to inspect backdoors, tracking mechanisms, or evil behavior. However, transparency is not comparable to immunity. Once deployed, there is no guarantee that data collected through implementation of that open source technology will not be misused or shared.
Furthermore, “DeepSeek’s open source status does not necessarily prevent user data from being utilized. Chinese data laws such as the Cybersecurity Act of 2017 and the Personal Information Protection Act of 2021 (PIPL) are the government of China. Allows authorities to access and request data from businesses operating under their jurisdiction.
In other words, the Chinese government has the authority to request your data (part of the Tiktok issue), and Deepseek is obliged to turn it over.
2. Data Usage Loops
Even if the software itself is “clean”, its use can pose a risk. For example, if user data is flowing through a system controlled by an entity like DeepSeek, it captures that data for analysis or other purposes, including the possibility of sharing it with external parties or governments. Can be used.
Open source has no control over where or how data is stored. It also does not interfere with compliance with government-mandated requests (China Data Sharing Act).
3. China’s data regulation context
Chinese companies are subject to laws such as the Cybersecurity Act of 2017 and the Personal Information Protection Act of 2021 (PIPL). These regulations allow the Chinese government to force businesses to share data on requests. Open source does not protect users from these external forces.
bytedance [the owner of TikTok] This is a representative example of how private companies operate independently, while being subject to scrutiny and leveraged by the Chinese government.
4. Why should bytes be a red flag?
Despite Tiktok’s efforts to isolate US operations (data storage on Oracle’s US servers), research shows that the data can be accessed by Chinese engineers. This shows how even controlled platforms can struggle to isolate operations completely.
5. Open Source Trust Gap
The promise of open source is that others can audit and verify its integrity, but few companies actually carry out such audits strictly. Even if they do, it is difficult to monitor the use and storage of data by those implementing the code.
6. Broader risks in partnerships
Concatenating your work to a system that even possible misuse can cause trust issues among users, especially given the political and legal sensibility surrounding China. Audiences (especially in real estate where privacy is important) may consider this association as a contract breaker, even when risk is low.
7. For real estate professionals interested in data privacy?
Processing sensitive client data may be something you should proceed with with caution. What if AI-generated insights rely on proprietary or user-powered data that truly owns and controls that information?
Recommendations for Real Estate Professionals
With these risks in mind, here are some things agents and brokerage companies should consider:
1. Do not enter sensitive client or transaction data into DeepSeek
If this information is accessed or could be misused, it is not worth the risk.
2. Use AI solutions with strong encryption and data protection policies
Make sure that any AI tools you employ have clear policies on how data is processed, stored and protected. Set hard and fast rules that client data will never be posted to Tiktok, Deepseek, or any other site that does not have proper protection for that data.
3. If your agent wants to use Tiktok or DeepSeek, you must have a different account to avoid posting client data
As ChatGpt recommends, “Implement strict data sharing policies. Limit the amount of client and transactional data shared with third-party platforms.
4. Brokers and Teams: Educate agents on data security risks
Trains are provided by agents and staff to recognize and avoid potential security threats when using AI-powered tools.
5. Use GDPR/CCPA compliant AI tools
It complies with privacy regulations, particularly the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA).
Passed in 2018, the GDPR protects your personal data by regulating collection, processing and transfer. It imposes strict compliance requirements on businesses processing EU citizens’ data on individual rights such as data access, correction, and deletion. Compliance is required from agents, companies, associations, or other organizations with offices in the EU and/or EU.
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which comes into effect on January 1, 2020, strengthens the privacy rights of California residents by allowing them to know, access, delete, and opt out of the sale of personal data. Applies to companies that meet certain revenue or data processing thresholds.
Both GDPR and CCPA/CPRA are intended to protect personal data, but GDPR applies globally to companies processing EU data and requires explicit consent, while CCPA/CPRA is a California It focuses on residents’ rights and emphasizes opt-out mechanisms.
These regulations exist to protect consumer privacy by restricting the way businesses collect, store and share personal data. Ensuring compliance with these frameworks will help protect client information and avoid legal complications.
The Future of AI in Real Estate: More Competition, More Complexity
Here is ChatGpt’s final take on real estate professionals on this important topic:
“Deepseek is just the beginning of a new wave of AI competition. As more companies push the boundaries of AI, the real estate industry will see a tool that redefines the way agents operate.
“Real estate professionals need to go beyond who has control over their data. Until companies like DeepSeek have full transparency, agents are especially safer AI tools. If there is, you should avoid integrating them into the business.”
Bernice Ross, president and CEO of BrokerageUp and RealestateCoach.com and founder of RealestateWealthForWomen.com, is a national speaker, author and trainer with over 1,500 published articles.
