Tencent integrates DeepSeek AI into Weixin for smarter search

Tencent has started testing the integration of DeepSeek AI into Weixin, China’s most popular super app. 

Weixin users can currently try DeepSeek’s AI-powered search by choosing the “AI Search” option from the app’s search bar. The feature does not exist on WeChat, which is an international variation of the platform. Tencent has confirmed that all users can already access the full range of the DeepSeek-R1 model without cost.

China’s tech and telecom sectors are rapidly adopting DeepSeek-R1    

DeepSeek-R1 was released on January 20 by Hangzhou-based DeepSeek. It is an open-source reasoning model that has been praised for its effectiveness and efficiency. It has the same functionality as similar AI models by OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, but it achieves this while spending only a fraction on training these models. Like all other generative AI tools, it also provides a simulation of the process of how it comes up with the response when responding.

Weixin now uses DeepSeek AI search tools, which are available to its 1.3 billion monthly active users who already use the platform for communication, shopping, payments, and content sharing. Tencent launched DeepSeek-R1 as a feature within its AI chatbot application, Yuanbao, along with other AI tools. 

Other Chinese tech giants such as Alibaba, Huawei, and Baidu are quickly deploying  DeepSeek AI models across their platforms. During the Lunar New Year holiday, their cloud computing units devoted massive effort to helping DeepSeek grow.

The major telecom operators, including China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom, have implemented DeepSeek AI into their systems, which indicates how deeply this technology has become embedded. 

Additionally, eight automakers, including BYD and at least nine financial securities companies, have rushed to integrate with DeepSeek in the last week.

The smartphone industry currently uses DeepSeek-R1 for its AI assistant functions, with Huawei incorporating it into its AI assistant, Xiaoyi, in the latest HarmonyOS Next update. Other top Chinese phone manufacturers, such as Oppo, Honor, and Vivo, have also started using DeepSeek to improve their artificial intelligence features.   

The stock surge and rural awareness highlight AI’s expanding reach in China

Optimism surrounding artificial intelligence has boosted Chinese stocks. A multinational investment bank, UBS, reported last week that AI-related Chinese equities have surged 15% since the beginning of the year, outpacing the MSCI China Index by 9%.

The timing of DeepSeek’s R1 model release played a significant role in the widespread attention it received. Released on January 20, its reported low-cost reasoning capabilities triggered a global tech stock sell-off on January 27. 

The release and subsequent news, coinciding with the Lunar New Year holiday, broadened awareness of AI and its potential impact beyond China’s major cities, reaching less developed regions, according to Wenhao Zhang, CEO of Doodod, a Beijing-based consumer marketing consultancy. Speaking Tuesday in Mandarin, he said: 

It’s a major education of the market. This will push the entire ecosystem’s development.

Wenhao Zhang

Tencent’s implementation of DeepSeek AI technology shows that Chinese businesses are adopting innovative AI solutions to improve user interaction while creating opportunities for future AI application development in different fields.  

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