DeepSeek exposes user & operational data, OpenAI launches deep research agent for ChatGPT Pro

PEX Network’s weekly bulletin rounds up the latest industry vendor news including product releases/updates, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships and leadership changes.

This week includes:

• Exposed DeepSeek database leaks sensitive information
• OpenAI unveils new ChatGPT agent for deep research
• Celonis appoints Daniel Brown as chief product officer
• UiPath previews Agentic Orchestration offering
• SAP Signavio releases new features and capabilities
• Appian helps AGL Energy revolutionize retail operations
• Ripcord merges with VASTEC for AI-powered robotic document digitization
• Digital Workforce launches online learning platform to accelerate AI skills
• ABBYY announces 2025 developer community MVPs

Exposed DeepSeek database leaks sensitive information

DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup known for its DeepSeek-R1 LLM model, publicly exposed two databases containing sensitive user data and operational information. The unsecured ClickHouse instances reportedly held over a million log entries containing user chat history in plaintext form, API keys, backend details and operational metadata, according to Wiz Research. The security firm informed DeepSeek of the matter allowing DeepSeek to address the exposure. Meanwhile, multiple other reports have highlighted significant security flaws in DeepSeek’s AI model.

“Wiz found unprotected databases that were publicly accessible with no authentication measures in place, meaning if you knew it existed you could access or manipulate the data through privilege escalation,” Matt Guenther, VP of strategic programs at Stratascale, told PEX Network. Some of the data in question included chat histories of users, API keys, backend details and other sensitive information, he added.

“These are very severe issues, with clear breaches of privacy and general non-compliance of the foundational confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA) CIA triad. These issues reflect broader industry challenges as a whole. The AI race has been fierce and at a blistering pace, with security often an afterthought. This incident in particular highlights how the rush to market in the AI sector can lead to significant oversights in security. The balance of innovation with security must be maintained.”

Watch Tyrone Smith Jr, program faculty member/adjunct associate professor at University of Southern California (USC) and founding member of Society of People Analytics (SPA), discuss building trust in AI technology

OpenAI unveils new ChatGPT agent for deep research

OpenAI launched a new AI tool designed to assist professionals with complex research tasks in fields like finance, science and policy. Called “deep research,” the AI agent is available with ChatGPT Pro for up to 100 queries per month and competes with similar services from companies like Google, which recently debuted a feature with the same name.

“Every output is fully documented, with clear citations and a summary of its thinking, making it easy to reference and verify the information,” stated OpenAI. “It is particularly effective at finding niche, non-intuitive information that would require browsing numerous websites.”

Deep research may take anywhere from five to 30 minutes to complete its work, taking the time needed to dive deep into the web, according to OpenAI. “The final output arrives as a report within the chat – in the next few weeks, we will also be adding embedded images, data visualizations, and other analytic outputs in these reports for additional clarity and context.”

Watch thought leader Vishal Bhalla reflect on the pros and cons of AI

Celonis appoints Daniel Brown as chief product officer

Process mining and process intelligence vendor Celonis appointed Daniel Brown as new chief product officer (CPO) to drive platform innovation and growth. Brown, who holds multiple degrees from Stanford University including a masters degree in computer science and an undergraduate degree in Physics, will work closely with the engineering, sales and marketing teams to deliver solutions that enable companies to be more productive, efficient, sustainable and get the most from technologies like AI, according to a press release.

“Dan brings a wealth of product strategy and leadership experience to Celonis,” said Alex Rinke, co-founder and co-CEO at Celonis. “As the market leader in process intelligence, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of what our platform can achieve. Dan’s proficiency at building transformative products will ensure we continue setting the benchmark for innovation and customer value as we deliver on our mission to make processes work for people, companies and the planet.”

Celonis also appointmented Brice Faure as new managing director for France to lead its ongoing growth in the nation.

Register for All Access: Process Mining and Process Intelligence 2025

UiPath previews Agentic Orchestration offering

Robotic process automation (RPA) vendor UiPath unveiled the private preview of its Agentic Orchestration offering. “In the agentic era, enterprises need a way to design, orchestrate and manage end-to-end business processes that seamlessly integrate humans, robots and AI agents. That’s exactly what we deliver with Agentic Orchestration,” wrote Arun Mehta, VP at UiPath. Capabilities include:

• Modeling complex business processes with BPMN to support the design, visualization and optimization of processes and workflows.
• Orchestrating work across humans, robots and AI agents to help ensure seamless collaboration between participants.
• Built-in monitoring and exception handling that gives teams full control and visibility over mission-critical processes.

“This is automation built for the future-proof enterprise – scalable, flexible and designed for real-world complexity,” added Mehta. UiPath recently published a new report which found that agentic AI is driving investment to tackle and automate complex business workflows.

Watch Tariq Munir, APAC financial planning transformation lead at PepsiCo, discuss measuring the impact of AI and intelligent automation

SAP Signavio releases new features and capabilities

SAP Signavio announced the availability of the SAP Signavio Transformation February 2025 release featuring several new features and capabilities. These are designed to help businesses prioritize transformation initiatives and simplify processes, according to SAP Signavio.

“With this release, we unveil features such as root cause analysis, value analysis capabilities and enriched usability improvements,” SAP Signavio stated. “These updates ensure faster time to insights, improved transparency and streamlined processes while reducing barriers to adoption. Imagine uncovering the hidden value of inefficiencies, aligning transformation efforts with measurable outcomes and gaining the insights needed to maximize your impact.”

The new features include:

• Value analysis in SAP Signavio Process Intelligence and SAP Signavio Process Transformation Manager
• Automated root cause analysis
• SAP Signavio Process Insights
• AI-assisted process analyses, process modeling and expanded possibilities with Joule integration
• Enhanced document governance through seamless integration with Microsoft SharePoint

Appian helps AGL Energy revolutionize retail operations

Process software provider Appian announced that AGL Energy, Australia’s leading energy retailer, is using the Appian Platform as part of a large-scale retail transformation project that has generated automation levels of over 70 percent and helped remove repetitive manual work. AGL recently launched eAGL, a workflow management tool built on the Appian Platform, to manage approximately four million pieces of work that were previously completed by AGL agents. eAGL has been rolled out to over 1,000 users across four different locations to help streamline back-office operations and fast-track customer activity, according to a press release.

“Appian is excited to partner with AGL on their retail transformation project, which will help connect every customer to a sustainable future in support of Australia’s 2050 net zero emissions,” said Luke Thomas, area VP of Asia Pacific and Japan at Appian. “We believe Appian will play a key role in AGL’s future state for automation, business process management [BPM] and operational improvement using our extensive process orchestration capability.”

Watch James Friend, director of digital strategy at NHS England, reflect on unlocking operational efficiency through process management

Ripcord merges with VASTEC for AI-powered robotic document digitization

Intelligent document processing (IDP) provider Ripcord merged with document and data transformation company VASTEC to bring advanced AI-powered robotic document digitization to more customers, sectors and regions. The combined experience and expertise of the companies, coupled with their advanced proprietary and patented technology, will usher in a new era of automated records management, according to a press release.

“This merger marks a transformational milestone for our companies and the digitization space,” said Sam Fahmy, CEO of Ripcord/VASTEC. “By uniting Ripcord’s advanced robotic and AI technologies with VASTEC’s customer depth and proven track record, we are poised to transform digitization, particularly in the enterprise and government sectors, where scale, speed and security are paramount.”

Watch Lisa Williams, global operations talent strategy and employee experience director, manufacturing and engineering operations at Dow, outline embracing new technology

Digital Workforce launches online learning platform to accelerate AI skills

Business automation solutions provider Digital Workforce announced the launch of agentacademy.ai, an online learning platform designed to meet the growing demand for literacy and expertise in enterprise AI agents. The platform delivers actionable, role-based training to turn market hype into real results in recognition of the increasing need for managers, creators and shepherds of AI agents, the company stated.

“AI agents are reshaping the future of work, but successful adoption requires more than technology – it demands skilled professionals who understand how to manage change and how to implement and scale these solutions effectively,” commented Antti Karjalainen, chief technology officer (CTO) at Digital Workforce. “Our mission is to increase enterprise AI literacy and provide organizations with the tools and knowledge to navigate this transformation confidently.”

Watch Andreas Welsch, author of the AI Leadership Handbook, discuss the future of agentic AI

ABBYY announces 2025 developer community MVPs

Intelligent automation vendor ABBYY announced the winners of its 2025 Most Valuable Professional (MVP) program. The ABBYY MVP program awards the title of MVP to developers and technical users who demonstrate exceptional proficiency in ABBYY AI and significant contribution to the ABBYY community, recognizing them for innovative use of AI technologies and their efforts to share their expertise with others. Becoming an ABBYY MVP yields opportunities for continuous innovation and professional connection, according to the company.

The 2025 MVPs include:

• Mike Stuhley, CEO, Formtran
• Aman Bhagat, RPA and optical character recognition (OCR) lead, KTech Products
• Damien Binda, business analyst manager, Reveal Group
• Ellen Todorovich, co-founder, CEO and data capture developer, Todologix
• Collins Sarmento, principal – director of IDC and process automation, Initium SoftWorks (ISW)
• Mark Miller, SVP, enterprise solutions, Naviant
• Sara Felman, commercial director, Argontech Ingeniería Documental Digital

READ MORE PEX VENDOR NEWS

• DeepSeek open-source AI model stuns the tech world

• Celonis unveils four new process intelligence apps

• Celonis to streamline UK government’s hiring processes

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