Chinese Racing: What features will the "DeepSeek killer" get
Izvestia gained access to the beta version of the Hunyuan-T1 "reasoning" AI model from the technology giant Tencent and tested the available functionality. The neural network said that it will be able to analyze content from a variety of sources in a matter of seconds and output it in any form convenient for the user. Experts note that the development already surpasses DeepSeek in a variety of parameters. Whether it can become the "killer" of the acclaimed Chinese neural network and the main competitor for OpenAI is in the Izvestia article.
What is Hunyuan-T1
The "reasoning" AI model from the Chinese company Tencent Holdings will learn in a matter of seconds how to analyze content from a variety of sources and deliver it in any form convenient for the user. The neural network told Izvestia about this, and the editors got access to the beta version of the model. It is currently being tested in limited functionality for users of China's largest messenger, WeChat. If the experiment pays off, the developers will add full-fledged support for the Yuanbao AI AI assistant to the messenger ecosystem with an audience of over 1 billion daily users.
Yuanbao AI is used in the Hunyuan-T1 model, and as Izvestia found out during testing, unlike DeepSeek, the built-in restrictions for it have been reduced, and the AI interlocutor is ready to speak out on difficult topics for China: for example, to provide information about the country's political elite or discuss the legal status of Taiwan. The model has limitations in evaluating its own plans, but the editors managed to "talk" the chatbot.
During the test, Izvestia was asked a question by the neural network itself and it reported that it would receive a number of advantages by the next update. First, she will be able to understand the context due to the ability to analyze complex queries and multi-process dialogues, which will allow her to maintain coherence in communication. Secondly, access to real-time information will be provided by integration with up-to-date data sources, which is important for working with highly specialized information.
Thirdly, multimodal capabilities will be expanded: support for all types of graphics, audio and video, making interaction more flexible. In addition, they will strengthen security measures and compliance with regulations — they will improve protection against malicious content and adapt the requirements of regulatory standards. Finally, customization tools are planned for developers, allowing them to fine-tune models for specific tasks. These features will collectively enhance the functionality and reliability of the systems.
Now, by default, each request is provided with a comment in Chinese, as well as a response in the language that was used when making the request. In the next update, you can set an unlimited number of languages.
The Hunyuan-T1's strength lies in the use of Hybrid-Transformer technology-Mamba MoE is a model that combines the work of several AI agents, also known as "experts". Also, unlike DeepSeek, Hunyuan has not yet been involved in scandals related to query leaks and other forms of user data compromise.
The Chinese company Tencent Holdings presented Hunyuan-T1 at the end of March. In most key tests, it already surpasses the DeepSeek R1 and claims to be the strongest reasoning model in China. Its creator ranks 16th in the global ranking of companies in terms of capitalization with a market value of more than $600 billion. Experts believe that in the coming months it will be able to become the main threat to the American AI market leader - GPT from OpenAI.
What experts say about the "DeepSeek killer"
— Why is Hunyuan-T1 called the "DeepSeek killer"? It all comes down to marketing and a technology race between two Chinese companies. Tencent claims that Hunyuan-T1 operates on trillions of parameters and is tailored to the Chinese language: idioms, cultural nuances, even local slang. This is critical for China. And DeepSeek, although a strong model, can lose out in such specific tasks," says Igor Bederov, head of the Information and Analytical research Department at T. Hunter.
Tencent is embedding Hunyuan-T1 in all national services: WeChat, clouds, games. It is convenient for businesses to have one tool for support, content and analytics, DeepSeek does not have such coverage yet, but it is too early to "bury" this neural network, the expert believes.
According to Yaroslav Meshalkin, managing partner of the Heads'made digital communications agency, Tencent's entry into the AI technology race is a strategically important step for the company, one of the current leaders in China's digital economy. The organization has huge resources: in the field of data, it provides access to huge amounts through WeChat, QQ, cloud services and gaming platforms. In the field of infrastructure, there are powerful computing resources and solutions such as Tencent Cloud. Finally, ecosystem-based opportunities to integrate AI into their products: social networks, payments, games, and advertising. All this allows Tencent to quickly adapt and develop competitive AI solutions, the expert noted.
— So far, Hunyuan-T1 is inferior to OpenAI (especially GPT-4.5) in a number of aspects. OpenAI is stronger in English and other languages, while Tencent is focusing on the Chinese and Asian markets, and ChatGPT is demonstrating more flexible text generation capabilities. Tencent's product also has advantages: deep integration into Chinese services, government support (China relies on sovereign AI technologies), as well as business applications: Hunyuan is already used in advertising, finance and customer support. Tencent may become a strong player in Asia, but globally, OpenAI is still the leader. In the long term, competition will increase, which will benefit the development of AI in general," Yaroslav Meshalkin believes.
Tencent, with its impressive financial potential, a wide ecosystem of digital products and, in particular, access to a huge amount of various data, is able to confidently claim one of the leading positions in the global AI industry, says Victoria Beresneva, director of the Autonomous Non-Profit Organization "Sports and Methodological Center"Department of Esports.
— The time has not yet come to determine the leader, new models will appear quite often and it will take time to create a certain universally recognized standard. In the meantime, an active search for optimal solutions is underway," says Alexey Ermakov, an IT expert at the Department of Esports at the Faculty of Gaming Industry and Esports at Synergy University.
Tencent does not just copy other people's solutions, but creates an ecosystem neural network. So far, OpenAI remains a global leader, and in order to challenge it, the Chinese company needs a breakthrough in English-speaking language models, says Kirill Kopylov, a specialist at the Department for the Development of design and technical thinking and digital Sports at the Moscow Center for Educational Practices.
Now we are talking more about the "OpenAI killers" — Sam Altman's company, which spends tens of billions of dollars a year, is under unprecedented pressure because its business model is cracking, the MTS AI press service noted. The question is, what will be the next step — multimodal models, AI agents, or something completely new?
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