BMW to integrate DeepSeek AI in new vehicles in China

This photo taken on May 8, 2024 shows a roll-off ceremony of the 6 millionth car produced by BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

BMW will integrate artificial intelligence (AI) technology from Chinese tech startup DeepSeek into its newest cars in China later this year, said Oliver Zipse, chairman of the board of management of BMW AG, at the Shanghai auto show on Wednesday.

"This will enhance our Intelligent Personal Assistant with DeepSeek functionality. It will also complement our existing AI capabilities and enable access to information that goes well beyond the vehicle itself," Zipse said.

Previously, a number of Chinese carmakers had signed up to integrate DeepSeek's popular large language model (LLM) into their own systems.

Zipse stressed China's importance for innovation, including in AI, saying BMW is "bringing breakthrough technologies from pioneering local players quickly to the road."

The German automaker has been accelerating collaboration with Chinese technology partners. Last week, it announced a plan to deepen collaboration with ByteDance to enhance AI applications in marketing and customer service. In March, it teamed up with Alibaba to integrate AI LLM into BMW's next-generation vehicles and partnered with Huawei to further develop an in-car digital ecosystem tailored for the Chinese market.

Auto Shanghai 2025, or the 21st Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, running from April 23 to May 2, has attracted nearly 1,000 companies from 26 countries and regions.