Key Points
- Tencent’s Weixin app beta tests AI-powered search using DeepSeek’s model, which is significant because it brings an external AI model into its ecosystem.
- Tencent also explores DeepSeek’s AI for other products, including AI assistants.
- Baidu fully integrates DeepSeek AI with its search engine and Ernie AI model.
- Chinese automakers and telecom firms also adopt DeepSeek’s AI in their platforms.
Tencent has announced that its Weixin messaging app, China’s largest, is testing integration with DeepSeek’s artificial intelligence model. This marks a significant step in the race among Chinese tech firms to adopt and integrate advanced AI capabilities.
According to Tencent’s statement to Reuters, Weixin is currently conducting a beta test to allow certain users to perform searches using DeepSeek’s AI model. This integration is noteworthy as it brings an external AI system into Tencent’s ecosystem despite the company already having its proprietary Hunyuan large language model.
A Tencent spokesperson confirmed that Hunyuan AI continues to enhance Weixin’s search features. However, the company is exploring broader applications of DeepSeek’s AI, including its use in Tencent Cloud AI Code Assistant and Tencent Yuanbao, an AI-powered assistant app.
DeepSeek’s rapid rise has drawn attention across China’s tech landscape. In a short time, the AI startup’s model has outperformed U.S.-based ChatGPT regarding downloads on Apple’s App Store. The company claims that its AI assistant requires significantly fewer resources while delivering high-quality responses at a fraction of the cost of competing models.
Baidu has also announced the full integration of DeepSeek with its search engine and its own AI model, Ernie. Other major companies, including automaker Great Wall Motor and leading telecommunications firms, are incorporating DeepSeek’s AI into their platforms.
Tencent clarified that DeepSeek’s AI is being tested within Weixin, which primarily serves users in China, rather than its international counterpart, WeChat. As of September, the two platforms collectively had 1.38 billion users.
With the increasing adoption of AI-driven search and assistance tools, Tencent’s move reflects the growing competition among Chinese firms to enhance their AI capabilities and gain an edge in the rapidly evolving industry.
