Tencent confirmed its Weixin messaging app is allowing some users free access to DeepSeek’s latest AI model to conduct searches, China Daily reported.

In a beta test on Weixin, the Chinese tech giant is offering users enhanced AI capabilities through DeepSeek’s new R1 mobile.

Tencent is also considering integrating DeepSeek into a number of other services, including its Cloud AI code assistant and AI personal agent app, the newspaper stated.

The company joins China’s three-largest telecoms operators and many others in collaborating with DeepSeek to give customers access to its open source AI model.

Earlier this month smartphone maker Honor updated its on-device assistant to integrate DreepSeek’s AI model for users in China.

Chinese start-up DeepSeek jolted the international AI industry after launching its R1 model, which reportedly has been developed at a fraction of the typical cost, using less-advanced chips compared to big name US counterparts.