BEIJING (Reuters) – The revolutionary DeepSeek AI technology has made a significant impact in China, with an increasing number of household appliances such as TVs, refrigerators, and robot vacuum cleaners set to incorporate the startup’s artificial intelligence models. Based in Hangzhou, DeepSeek has shaken up the AI industry this year with its advanced language models that compete with Western systems in terms of performance but at a more affordable price point. This success has generated immense pride and excitement in China, positioning DeepSeek as evidence that U.S. attempts to restrict technological progress in China will not succeed.
Lauded by Chinese authorities, DeepSeek’s founder Liang Wenfeng is receiving recognition for the company’s accomplishments. Sources have revealed that the company is gearing up to launch R2, the successor to its highly acclaimed R1 reasoning model. In recent weeks, leading home appliance manufacturers including Haier, Hisense, and TCL Electronics have followed in the footsteps of automakers and tech giants like Huawei and Tencent in announcing their adoption of DeepSeek’s models.
While many of these appliances are already equipped with smart features that can respond to voice commands, DeepSeek’s models promise a new level of precision and sophistication. According to Liu Xingliang, an independent industry analyst based in Beijing, the integration of DeepSeek’s technology could enable a robotic vacuum cleaner to employ the semantic parsing capabilities of DeepSeek-R1 for enhanced positioning and obstacle avoidance, completing tasks with greater speed and accuracy.
Liu further illustrated the potential by suggesting that a smart device could understand complex instructions such as “Gently wax the wooden floor in the master bedroom but avoid the Legos,” showcasing the transformative impact DeepSeek’s technology could have on everyday tasks and routines.
(Reporting by Sophie Yu and Brenda Goh; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
