A language model with chat, an employee for workflows. The facts side by side.
DeepSeek is first and foremost a Chinese provider of large language models. The best-known ways in are the chat on the web and in the app, a paid API and open model weights that companies may run themselves under the MIT license. The chat remains a tool that each person starts and checks themselves. The open models are a building block that a company has to run, secure and connect to its workflows on its own.
An AI employee from bee-hub.ai is not another tool for individuals. It takes over a defined workflow in your business, works in the background in your ERP and inbox and presents results for approval. bee-hub.ai is responsible for setup, operation and maintenance.
| DeepSeek (app and API) | bee-hub.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Language models from a Chinese provider: chat on the web and in the app, paid API, open model weights1 | AI employees, trained on a defined workflow in your business |
| Who does the work | The person; the chat answers on request | The AI employee; a person reviews and approves |
| Pricing | API per token, e.g. deepseek-flash from US$0.60 per 1M output tokens; double price at peak times2 | Per AI employee; AI chat for all staff at no extra cost |
| Where the data lives | According to the privacy policy, collected, processed and stored in the People's Republic of China3 | Your server, private cloud or a German hosting provider; language model from a European provider9 |
| Training on your data | According to the privacy policy, personal data is used for training; users can opt out3 | Excluded by contract9 |
| Work in the ERP | No built-in work in the ERP or inbox; connections only as in-house development via the API | Works inside your existing ERP, DMS and email, like an additional employee |
| Who is in control | Each person individually in the chat; for the API, your own development team | An agreed workflow with rules, approvals and a log, set up by bee-hub.ai |
| Setup and operation | Chat as self-service; the company runs and secures open models itself4 | Onboarding, operation and maintenance by bee-hub.ai |
With DeepSeek, two things need to be kept apart: the provider's service and the freely available models.
DeepSeek's app and API. According to its privacy policy, DeepSeek collects, processes and stores personal data in the People's Republic of China. DeepSeek also uses this data to train its models; users can opt out3. In May 2025, the Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information called on DeepSeek to stop the transfer to China or to make it lawful. In June 2025, she reported the app to Apple and Google as illegal content under the Digital Services Act, because China does not offer an equivalent level of protection5. The Italian data protection authority had already restricted the processing of Italian users' data in January 20256. The Baden-Württemberg Cyber Security Agency advises against entering personal data or business information into DeepSeek7.
Open models. Code and weights are released under the MIT license; commercial use is permitted4. If you run the models on your own or EU servers, no data goes to DeepSeek. The findings on the app and the API do not apply to this kind of operation. GDPR obligations then lie with the operator, as do operation, security and integration into your own workflows.
The real difference lies in who sets things up, who maintains them and who is responsible.
Set it up and maintain it yourself, or have it set up and maintained.
Who is the expert for that in your company?
At bee-hub.ai, every AI employee is limited to one purpose and works mostly by fixed rules. We only deploy fully autonomous agents when explicitly commissioned.
An open model is a building block.
The AI employee takes over the whole workflow.
No. DeepSeek provides language models and a chat that answers individual staff on request. bee-hub.ai provides AI employees that take over a defined workflow, such as entering orders from the inbox into the ERP, working inside your existing systems. Language models raise the productivity of individuals. AI employees step into processes and raise the productivity of the whole company.
For the app and the API, DeepSeek stores personal data in China according to its privacy policy3. The Berlin data protection commissioner considers this transfer unlawful5. The Baden-Württemberg Cyber Security Agency advises against entering personal data or business information7. The open models are a different matter: if you run them on your own or EU servers, no data goes to DeepSeek and you bear the GDPR obligations yourself.
According to its privacy policy, DeepSeek uses personal data to train its models; users can opt out3. At bee-hub.ai, training on your data is excluded by contract.
DeepSeek provides models, a chat and an API, but no ready-made work in the ERP. A connection would be in-house development via the API or based on the open models. An AI employee from bee-hub.ai works inside your existing ERP without you building interfaces.
30 minutes, one process from your business.