Following the release of DeepSeek’s R1 model, the halls and Zoom rooms of tech companies have been buzzing with excitement and uncertainty. The Chinese startup has come up with an open-source, cost-efficient artificial intelligence model that competes with the best solutions on the market for a fraction of the cost. In fact, in just seven days, DeepSeek’s product topped the U.S. App Store’s download charts, even surpassing ChatGPT.
Industry experts are closely following DeepSeek’s next moves to see how the introduction of the groundbreaking model could impact the global AI market. But what does it mean for construction and, more specifically, the roofing industry? How could DeepSeek be beneficial to roofers? We explain this in the article below.
What is DeepSeek?
DeepSeek is an AI-powered chatbot that looks and feels similar to ChatGPT. Both its versions (DeepSeek R1 and DeepSeek V3) are on par with OpenAI and Meta’s most advanced models. The difference? They’re much cheaper to use. DeepSeek R1, which was released at the beginning of the year, is 20 to 50 times more affordable than ChatGPT, depending on the task it’s used for.
Moreover, DeepSeek is open source, which means it is available for anyone to download, copy, and build upon.
What does DeepSeek mean for the roofing industry?
At Instant Roofer, we’re no strangers to AI. We see the potential that new tech has in the construction industry. By using AI tools, we offer users a fast and free way to measure a roof, get an estimate, and connect with the best roofers in their area. To take this even further, we’ll be exploring DeepSeek to enhance our clients’ experience.
But how can you – as a contractor – take advantage of the new tech? Our expert (and tech wizard), Jacob Petrosky, believes we won’t see an immediate impact from DeepSeek on the roofing industry, but as it progresses, more contractors will likely use it to engage with clients and ensure a smoother roofing experience.
Useful ways for roofers to use DeepSeek
Customer support and communications
Since DeepSeek, like ChatGPT, is a Large Language Model (LLM), it understands and generates human-like text. This means it can be used even by non-technical teams to create customer support chatbots and help with other communication tasks, like marketing.
If a client reaches out to you when you’re unavailable, you can use a chatbot designed by DeepSeek to answer the most basic questions. This personalized assistance and real-time sentiment analysis are something the market has not seen before.
Scheduling consultations
As a roofing contractor, you have to work hard every day. Communicating back and forth with clients can be tiring, especially when you’re exhausted from all the physical work. Thankfully, DeepSeek may relieve some of the stress that comes with booking consultations and scheduling site visits.
In the future, we’ll likely see roofing contractors implementing AI tools that allow clients to take action (such as scheduling a call or booking an appointment) without communicating directly.
Automated tasks
Most roofers still operate with manual processes, whether it’s quoting or conducting roof inspections, which can be quite cumbersome. In about six to 12 months, as developers start to embrace DeepSeek, we expect that many of the roofing industry’s challenges will be automated.
Is DeepSeek good news for the roofing industry?
On the one hand, DeepSeek can solve many hardships roofers have to face, whether it’s communication with clients or automation of mundane tasks.
On the other hand, the roofing industry relies heavily on human-to-human relationships. To sell a roof, you must first build a trusting relationship with your clients, and this is not something AI can do. That’s why we’re hesitant to say whether DeepSeek will bring positive or negative change to the roofing industry.
Final thoughts
China’s DeepSeek has sent shockwaves through the tech industry. Since the launch of its new generative AI, many have been speculating about how it will impact market dynamics.
At Instant Roofer, we acknowledge DeepSeek’s huge potential to make roofers’ lives easier. In the upcoming months, we expect the Large Language Model to become more popular among roofers and developers, and we believe it can be a great solution for streamlining processes and personalizing experiences.
At the same time, it’s important to understand that no AI tool is perfect. It can make mistakes and hallucinate, so if you start embracing AI in your roofing work, always double-check. After all, technology should help your business, not harm it.
Fact Checked by Lita Legzdina on 03/04/2025