On February 15, WeChat officially began the gradual rollout of its integration with the DeepSeek-R1 AI model. The feature can be accessed through the search bar at the top of the chat interface. After clicking on the search bar, users will see the “AI Search” option, which opens an input field and presents two choices: “Quick Q&A” and “Deep Thinking.”
In response to the news, Tencent confirmed that WeChat’s search function, “WeChat Search,” is now incorporating the DeepSeek model as part of a broader effort to enrich its AI search capabilities. Users within the testing range can access the full version of DeepSeek-R1 for free during the gray-scale testing period. Tencent clarified that this integration is not a direct partnership with DeepSeek, but rather follows the same pattern seen with the previous launch of the DeepSeek model on Tencent Cloud. Several Tencent products are currently exploring the possibility of incorporating DeepSeek.
Tencent’s rapid integration of DeepSeek across its product lineup is a significant move. This week, Tencent Cloud’s AI Code Assistant and the Tencent Yuanbao App also integrated DeepSeek-R1.
While Tencent has historically maintained a cautious approach in the AI race, it has quickly adopted DeepSeek, aligning with its cautious but strategic product roadmap. The performance of DeepSeek models is widely recognized in the industry. What matters most to Tencent is how these AI models are applied, as capturing user attention and solving real-world problems take priority over whether the AI is developed in-house or sourced externally.
Strategic Considerations Behind Tencent’s Move
WeChat’s combination with DeepSeek is being dubbed a “game-changer” in the industry, particularly given WeChat’s massive user base of over 1.3 billion monthly active users. On one hand, the rise of DeepSeek threatens the dominant search scenarios and user traffic pools controlled by independent internet apps. On the other hand, this move by WeChat is seen as both a defense strategy and a critical shift following the trend towards open-source AI models.
Why is Tencent integrating DeepSeek-R1 into WeChat Search, despite already having its own “Hunyuan” AI model? A platform leader from a domestic open-source community told that the integration of DeepSeek-R1 is driven by multiple factors—technological, competitive, and strategic. This collaboration promises benefits for Tencent in terms of user engagement, business growth, and more.
Technological Synergy:
DeepSeek-R1 excels in long-form reasoning and complex logic processing, filling the gaps in Tencent’s Hunyuan model, especially in tasks beyond real-time Q&A. It can effectively process “comparative analysis” questions and generate structured answers by integrating information from WeChat Official Accounts, Video Accounts, and other web sources.
Risk Diversification:
Unlike its competitors who are pushing their own AI models, Tencent’s strategy of partnering with emerging AI companies demonstrates a differentiated approach. This strategy helps mitigate development risks while maintaining flexibility.
Open-Source Benefits:
As an open-source model under the MIT license, DeepSeek-R1 allows for free commercial use, modification, and further development. This gives Tencent the ability to upgrade its services at a low cost.
“Integrating AI services provides Tencent with new business opportunities. Whether through direct user fees or ad monetization based on AI search, this can create new revenue streams for Tencent. It will also foster innovation across other WeChat business scenarios, driving overall business growth,” said the open-source community platform leader.
Some industry analysts believe that while Tencent has traditionally been slow to adopt new technologies, it tends to make strategic moves once trends are clearer, leveraging its vast user base and traffic. From a commercialization perspective, this could reshape WeChat’s potential, allowing for B2B API offerings like intelligent customer service and marketing copy generation. On the C-end, WeChat could launch subscription-based AI services to increase user engagement and drive revenue.
