Tencent and Baidu Integrate DeepSeek AI into Weixin Search as Competition Heats Up
Chinese tech giants Tencent and Baidu have begun integrating DeepSeek’s AI model into Weixin messaging app, China’s largest, as firms race to adopt the emerging AI technology.
Weixin Beta Testing DeepSeek AI Search
Tencent confirmed in a statement to Reuters on Sunday that Weixin is beta testing AI-powered search capabilities using DeepSeek. This is a notable move as it marks the integration of an external AI platform, in contrast to Tencent’s usual reliance on its proprietary models.
A Tencent spokesperson clarified that Weixin continues to use Tencent’s Hunyuan large language model to enhance AI search functions. However, Tencent is also exploring further DeepSeek integrations across multiple products, including Tencent Cloud AI Code Assistant and Tencent Yuanbao, another AI assistant app.
The tests apply to Weixin, which serves domestic users, but not to WeChat, the international version. Combined, the two apps had 1.38 billion users as of September 2024.
Baidu and Other Companies Join the AI Race
Tencent’s move follows Baidu’s announcement that it would fully connect its search engine with DeepSeek and its own Ernie large language model.
DeepSeek has gained significant traction since launching a free AI assistant last month, which reportedly uses less data and operates at a lower cost than leading AI models. It has already overtaken ChatGPT in Apple’s App Store downloads in China.
Several Chinese firms are now integrating DeepSeek’s AI into their products. Great Wall Motor and leading telecom providers have also begun incorporating the AI model into their services, highlighting the growing competition in China’s AI landscape.
With inputs from Reuters