Chinese AI DeepSeek: a guide to getting advice from the most famous Chinese artificial intelligence
DeepSeek is the Chinese artificial intelligence model that shook the global tech landscape in 2025 and, by 2026, had established itself as one of the most discussed and widely used tools in the world. For Italian companies, and for anyone who wants to understand the digital dynamics of China, knowing how to use DeepSeek is no longer optional: it is a strategic skill.
This practical guide walks you from registration to writing effective prompts, all the way to advanced professional use. The end goal is to get useful, contextualized and reliable answers from a system born and trained at the heart of the Chinese tech ecosystem. The prerequisites are minimal: an internet connection, any device and the willingness to experiment methodically.
We will cover four stages: understanding what DeepSeek is and how it works, accessing the platform, writing effective requests and, finally, critically evaluating the answers you get.
Summary:
What DeepSeek is and how the Chinese AI works
DeepSeek is a large language model (LLM) developed by the company of the same name, headquartered in Hangzhou and founded in 2023 by the quantitative fund High Flyer. Its flagship model, DeepSeek V3, has achieved performance comparable to leading Western competitors with a significantly lower investment in computing resources, a fact that caught the attention of the international scientific community.
DeepSeek runs on a Mixture of Experts (MoE) architecture: instead of activating every parameter of the model for each request, the system selects only the most relevant subsets. This approach ensures efficiency without sacrificing the quality of the answers.
For Italian businesses interested in the Chinese market, DeepSeek offers a structural advantage: it was trained on enormous volumes of Chinese language data, which makes it particularly skilled at understanding cultural nuances, commercial terminology and regulatory contexts specific to the People's Republic.
China Digital Marketing, an Italian agency specialized in positioning Italian brands in China with an operational base in Shanghai, notes that understanding these tools is now an integral part of any market entry strategy for China.
Differences compared with other language models
DeepSeek stands out for three main characteristics:
Mandarin Chinese language proficiency: above average compared with Western models in lexical and contextual depth.
Computational efficiency: the MoE model enables fast responses with lower energy consumption.
Free access: the base model is open source and available at no license cost, as documented in the official GitHub repository.
It is worth noting that, like all language models, DeepSeek is subject to content filters imposed by Chinese regulations on information services. This means that on certain politically sensitive topics the answers can be limited or evasive.
How to access DeepSeek: registration and first steps
Access to DeepSeek is free and takes less than five minutes. Here is the full procedure.
Step 1: reach the platform
Visit the official site chat.deepseek.com from your computer or smartphone browser. The interface is available in English and Chinese. There is no localized Italian version yet, but the platform understands and answers correctly in Italian.
Step 2: create an account
Click "Sign Up" and choose between:
Registering with an email address
Signing in with a Google account
For Italian users, registering with Google is the fastest method. Enter the required details and confirm your email if needed.
Common mistake to avoid: some users try to log in through a VPN with a Chinese IP address, thinking they will unlock extra features. In reality, this can cause verification problems and offers no concrete advantage.
Step 3: choose the model
Once logged in, the interface lets you select between different modes. The most relevant for general use is DeepThink (R1), the advanced reasoning model that shows its own logical process step by step.
For those who prefer a mobile experience, DeepSeek is also available as an app for iOS and Android, downloadable from the respective stores.
How to use DeepSeek: writing effective prompts
The quality of the answers depends entirely on the quality of the questions. Writing a prompt, meaning the text instruction you give the model, is a skill that improves with practice.
The fundamental rule: context, task, format
Every effective prompt contains three elements:
Context: who you are and what your starting situation is. Example: "I am the export manager of a Tuscan winery."
Task: what you want to achieve. Example: "I need to understand which Chinese ecommerce platforms are best suited for selling Italian wine."
Format: how you want the answer. Example: "Give me a comparison table with the pros and cons of each platform."
Common mistake: asking overly generic questions such as "Tell me about the Chinese market." This produces equally generic answers. Specificity is the determining factor.
Practical examples for Italian companies
Here are three prompts tested and optimized to get useful answers:
For the fashion sector: "Act as a digital marketing consultant who is an expert on the Chinese market. My made in Italy fashion brand wants to open an account on Xiaohongshu (RED). What are the first five operational steps, including the necessary legal checks?"
For the food and beverage sector: "Compare Tmall Global and JD Worldwide for selling Italian extra virgin olive oil in China. Consider entry costs, logistics and brand visibility."
For the design sector: "What are the 2026 trends in interior design in China, and how can an Italian furniture brand position itself on WeChat?"
These examples illustrate a key principle: DeepSeek produces better answers when the prompt simulates a conversation with an industry expert. The trilingual team at China Digital Marketing uses this kind of approach daily to analyze trends and Chinese digital platforms such as Baidu, WeChat and Douyin on behalf of its Italian clients.
Using DeepSeek in Chinese: when it pays off
If your goal is to gather information about the Chinese market, writing the prompt in Mandarin Chinese often produces richer and more detailed results. The model draws on a broader knowledge base when it operates in the language it was mainly trained on. This is especially true if you want to search the Chinese web: to query sources, forums and content published in China, using DeepSeek in Chinese is the right choice, because the model understands and interprets material written in its own training language far better.
For those who do not speak Chinese, an effective strategy is:
Write the prompt in Italian (or your own language)
Use a system such as ChatGPT or another AI to translate it into Chinese
Copy the translation and use it as a new prompt on DeepSeek
Ask for the answer to be translated back into your language
This method, cumbersome as it is, can surface information that the version of the prompt in your own language would not have generated.
Chinese AI and business advice: what to ask and what not to ask
DeepSeek is a powerful tool, but it is not an oracle. Knowing what to ask, and above all what not to ask, is essential for professional use.
What DeepSeek does well:
Preliminary market research: overviews of sectors, competitors and trends in China.
Translation and localization: adapting commercial texts from Italian into Chinese with cultural sensitivity.
Strategic brainstorming: generating ideas for campaigns on Chinese platforms.
Explaining regulations: summarizing Chinese rules on import and export, cross border ecommerce and intellectual property.
What DeepSeek cannot guarantee:
Real time data: the model has a training data cutoff and does not browse the live web, unless a search function is explicitly activated.
Binding legal advice: regulatory information is indicative and always requires verification by a professional.
Impartiality on sensitive topics: as required by Chinese law on the management of algorithmic information services, answers on politically delicate subjects are filtered.
Critical mistake to avoid: basing important business decisions solely on the answers of a language model. DeepSeek is a starting point for research, not a substitute for specialized consulting. Agencies such as China Digital Marketing, which combine digital expertise with a physical presence in Shanghai and direct market knowledge, offer a level of verification and contextualization that no model can replicate on its own.
Getting advice from the Chinese AI DeepSeek: advanced strategies
Beyond basic use, DeepSeek offers features that make it especially useful for anyone working with the Chinese market.
DeepThink mode: transparent reasoning
Activating DeepThink mode makes the model show its own reasoning process before giving the final answer. This is particularly useful to:
Check the logic behind a strategic recommendation
Identify any flawed assumptions in the reasoning
Understand how the model weighs different factors
Uploading documents
DeepSeek lets you upload files (PDFs, text documents) and ask questions about their content. A practical use: upload a commercial contract in Chinese and ask for a summary of the critical points in your own language.
Iterative conversations
Unlike a traditional search engine query, DeepSeek keeps the context of the conversation. You can start with a broad question and progressively refine it:
"What are the main social platforms in China in 2026?"
"Among these, which is most suitable for an Italian cosmetics brand?"
"Write a monthly editorial plan for Xiaohongshu for this type of brand."
Each subsequent answer takes the previous ones into account, creating a coherent path of exploration.
How to check that the process was carried out correctly
A guide is complete only when it provides criteria for verification. Here is how to know if you are using DeepSeek effectively:
The answers are specific: if you get generic answers, the problem is in the prompt. Rephrase it by adding context.
You can verify the facts: every relevant piece of information provided by DeepSeek should be checkable against an independent source. Always verify regulatory data and market statistics.
The model "reasons" transparently: when using DeepThink, the logical process should be coherent and free of obvious logical leaps.
The answers in Chinese are richer: if you notice a quality difference between prompts in your own language and in Chinese, the model is working as expected.
You know when to stop: the clearest sign of mature use is recognizing when the model's answers are not enough and specialized human input is needed.
For Italian companies planning to use DeepSeek as part of a broader strategy for entering the Chinese market, the natural next step is to combine these preliminary analyses with the advice of professionals who work daily within the Chinese digital ecosystem.
China Digital Marketing offers digital marketing consulting for China, management of platforms such as WeChat, Douyin and Xiaohongshu, SEO on Baidu and business development: all elements that turn the insights gathered from DeepSeek into concrete, measurable actions.
Do you want to understand how your brand appears when a Chinese user asks DeepSeek, or other Chinese search engines and digital platforms, for advice?
Request a free visibility analysis of your brand and find out how to position yourself effectively within China's digital ecosystem.
Frequently asked questions
Is DeepSeek free?
Yes, DeepSeek can be used for free in its web version at chat.deepseek.com and through the mobile apps for iOS and Android. The base model is also open source, which means developers and companies can integrate it into their own systems at no license cost.
Does DeepSeek work in Italian?
DeepSeek understands and answers in Italian, although the platform's interface is only available in English and Chinese. Answers in Italian are generally accurate, but for more detailed information about the Chinese market it is advisable to write prompts in Mandarin Chinese.
Is DeepSeek safe to use with company data?
As with any cloud service, it is not advisable to enter confidential company data, trade secrets or sensitive personal information into prompts. Conversations may be used to improve the model, unless stated otherwise in the platform's privacy settings.
What is the difference between DeepSeek and other language models?
DeepSeek stands out for its Mixture of Experts architecture, which ensures computational efficiency, for its superior competence in Chinese, and for the open source nature of the model. However, it is subject to the content filters required by Chinese regulations, which can limit answers on certain topics.
How can I use DeepSeek for my business in China?
DeepSeek is useful for preliminary market research, analysis of Chinese digital platforms, strategic brainstorming and translation. To turn these analyses into operational strategies, it is advisable to rely on professionals specialized in digital marketing for the Chinese market, such as agencies with a local presence and trilingual expertise.
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