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Life in Mainland China

AI assistants: a Chinese conversation with pinyin and English

CNNIC counted 602 million generative AI users in China at December 2025, and chatbots now sit inside apps people already use.

Play: AI assistants

The conversation

Speakers: Xiaoyu and Haoran.

  1. Xiaoyu

    你(nǐ)干(gàn)嘛(má)用(yòng)手(shǒu)机(jī)上(shàng)的(de) AI 助(zhù)手(shǒu)打(dǎ)听(ting)送(sòng)我(wǒ)什(shén)么(me)生(shēng)日(rì)礼(lǐ)物(wù)？

    Why are you using an AI assistant on your phone to figure out what birthday gift to get me?

  2. Haoran

    我(wǒ)这(zhè)是(shì)合(hé)理(lǐ)利(lì)用(yòng)一(yí)切(qiè)技(jì)术(shù)手(shǒu)段(duàn)。

    I'm just making efficient use of all available technology.

  3. Xiaoyu

    你(nǐ)都(dōu)问(wèn)了(le)哪(nǎ)几(jǐ)个(ge)？

    Which ones did you ask?

  4. Haoran

    字(zì)节(jié)跳(tiào)动(dòng)的(de)豆(dòu)包(bāo)，腾(téng)讯(xùn)的(de)元(yuán)宝(bǎo)，还(hái)有(yǒu)阿(ā)里(lǐ)通(tōng)义(yì)千(qiān)问(wèn)。

    ByteDance's Doubao, Tencent's Yuanbao, and Alibaba's Qwen.

  5. Xiaoyu

    那(nà)你(nǐ)知(zhī)道(dào)到(dào) 2025 年(nián) 12 月(yuè)，我(wǒ)国(guó)生(shēng)成(chéng)式(shì) AI 用(yòng)户(hù)有(yǒu)多(duō)少(shao)吗(ma)？

    Well, do you know how many generative AI users we had in China by December 2025?

    1. 6.02 亿(yì) 602 million
    2. 6000 万(wàn) 60 million
    3. 60 亿(yì) 6 billion
    Answer

    6.02 亿(yì) 602 million

  6. Haoran

    6.02 亿(yì)，同(tóng)比(bǐ)暴(bào)涨(zhǎng) 141.7%。

    602 million, a year-on-year surge of 141.7%.

  7. Xiaoyu

    我(wǒ)姑(gū)妈(mā)居(jū)然(rán)也(yě)是(shì)其(qí)中(zhōng)一(yí)个(ge)，天(tiān)天(tiān)拿(ná)它(tā)给(gěi)儿(ér)媳(xí)妇(fù)写(xiě)消(xiāo)息(xi)。

    My aunt is actually one of them, using it every day to write messages to her daughter-in-law.

  8. Haoran

    杭(háng)州(zhōu)的(de) DeepSeek 你(nǐ)听(tīng)说(shuō)过(guò)吧(ba)？它(tā)在(zài) 2025 年(nián) 1 月(yuè)发(fā)布(bù)了(le) R1，用(yòng)的(de)是(shì) MIT 协(xié)议(yì)。

    Have you heard of Hangzhou's DeepSeek? They released R1 in January 2025 under the MIT license.

  9. Xiaoyu

    也(yě)就(jiù)是(shì)说(shuō)谁(shuí)都(dōu)可(kě)以(yǐ)用(yòng)它(tā)的(de)权(quán)重(zhòng)，你(nǐ)看(kàn)，我(wǒ)懂(dǒng)的(de)可(kě)不(bù)少(shǎo)。

    Meaning anyone can use its weights. Look at that, I know plenty.

  10. Haoran

    现(xiàn)在(zài)微(wēi)信(xìn)里(lǐ)也(yě)有(yǒu)了(le)小(xiǎo)微(wēi)，还(hái)在(zài)小(xiǎo)范(fàn)围(wéi)测(cè)试(shì)呢(ne)。

    Now WeChat has Xiaowei too, still in limited testing.

  11. Xiaoyu

    原(yuán)来(lái)这(zhè)助(zhù)手(shǒu)直(zhí)接(jiē)嵌(qiàn)在(zài)大(dà)家(jiā)平(píng)时(shí)聊(liáo)天(tiān)的(de)地(dì)方(fang)了(le)。

    Oh, so the assistant is built right into where everyone chats daily.

  12. Haoran

    对(duì)啊(a)，快(kuài)手(shǒu)旗(qí)下(xià)还(hái)有(yǒu)可(kě)灵(líng)能(néng)做(zuò) AI 视(shì)频(pín)。

    Yep, and Kuaishou's Kling can even do AI video.

  13. Xiaoyu

    那(nà)你(nǐ)用(yòng)它(tā)们(men)查(chá)出(chū)来(lái)送(sòng)我(wǒ)什(shén)么(me)呀(ya)？

    So what did they suggest you get me?

  14. Haoran

    它(tā)建(jiàn)议(yì)送(sòng)一(yí)套(tào)彩(cǎi)色(sè)铅(qiān)笔(bǐ)。

    It suggested a set of colored pencils.

  15. Xiaoyu

    这(zhè)不(bú)就(jiù)是(shì)你(nǐ)去(qù)年(nián)送(sòng)我(wǒ)的(de)那(nà)套(tào)吗(ma)。

    Isn't that the exact set you got me last year?

  16. Haoran

    我(wǒ)知(zhī)道(dào)，说(shuō)明(míng)它(tā)还(hái)在(zài)学(xué)习(xí)嘛(ma)。

    I know, which just shows it's still learning.

Hear it read aloud in the app

Words in the conversation

礼(lǐ)物(wù)giftHSK 2其(qí)中(zhōng)among whichHSK 2听(tīng)说(shuō)to hear (that)HSK 2可(kě)以(yǐ)canHSK 2不(bù)少(shǎo)quite a lotHSK 2原(yuán)来(lái)originallyHSK 2直(zhí)接(jiē)directHSK 2大(dà)家(jiā)everyoneHSK 2平(píng)时(shí)usuallyHSK 2它(tā)们(men)they (non-human)HSK 2说(shuō)明(míng)to explainHSK 2打(dǎ)听(ting)to ask around town for where to buy somethingHSK 3合(hé)理(lǐ)reasonable and well-justifiedHSK 3利(lì)用(yòng)to make good use of an available resourceHSK 3一(yī)切(qiè)everythingHSK 3技(jì)术(shù)technologyHSK 3消(xiāo)息(xi)a piece of newsHSK 3就(jiù)是(shì)preciselyHSK 3范(fàn)围(wéi)scopeHSK 3建(jiàn)议(yì)a suggestionHSK 3彩(cǎi)色(sè)in multiple vivid coloursHSK 3微(wēi)信(xìn)WeChatHSK 4测(cè)试(shì)to testHSK 4助(zhù)手(shǒu)helperHSK 5手(shǒu)段(duàn)methodHSK 5生(shēng)成(chéng)to generateHSK 5用(yòng)户(hù)userHSK 5居(jū)然(rán)unexpectedlyHSK 5发(fā)布(bù)to releaseHSK 5协(xié)议(yì)agreementHSK 5视(shì)频(pín)videoHSK 5就(jiù)是(shì)说(shuō)that is to sayHSK 6查(chá)出(chū)to detectHSK 6铅(qiān)笔(bǐ)pencilHSK 6

Notes

Generative AI users

CNNIC counted 602 million generative AI users at December 2025, up 141.7% in a year and 42.8% of the population.

DeepSeek

DeepSeek is a Hangzhou company. It released its R1 reasoning model on 20 January 2025 under the MIT licence, so anyone may use the weights.

Chatbot names

Doubao is ByteDance's chatbot. Yuanbao is Tencent's chatbot, and Hy is its model family. Qwen is Alibaba's model.

AI inside Weixin

Tencent's Q2 2026 results describe a small-scale prototype test of Xiaowei, an agentic AI inside Weixin, so the assistant sits in the app where people already chat.

AI video

Kuaishou's AI video tool Kling AI made over RMB 850 million of revenue in Q2 2026, up more than 200%.

Play

AI assistants

CNNIC counted 602 million generative AI users in China at December 2025, and chatbots now sit inside apps people already use.

  1. DeepSeek released its R1 model on:

    Answer

    20 January 2025. Announced on DeepSeek's own news page.

  2. R1's weights were released under the:

    Answer

    MIT licence. Anyone may use the weights.

  3. Doubao is made by:

    Answer

    ByteDance. ByteDance also makes Douyin.

  4. Qwen is made by:

    Answer

    Alibaba. Qwen is Alibaba's model family.

  5. Tencent's chatbot is:

    Answer

    Yuanbao. Named in Tencent's Q2 2026 results.

  6. CNNIC counted generative AI users at December 2025 as about:

    Answer

    602 million. That was 42.8% of the population.

  7. In which city is DeepSeek based?

    Answer

    Hangzhou. DeepSeek is a Hangzhou company.

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