China’s DeepSeek adds advanced ‘thinking’ feature to chatbot amid buzz over next model


Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek has updated the user interface of its flagship chatbot by adding an advanced “thinking” feature, as its app recorded a massive 90 per cent jump in monthly active users (MAU) in December.
The upgrades, including a deep research mode similar to OpenAI’s namesake product, marked a rare improvement on the consumer side for the Hangzhou-based firm at a time when anticipation was building over its next-generation models, analysts said.

DeepSeek’s website and mobile app have both started offering an advanced search function called “interleaved thinking”, in which the chatbot performs multi-step research with “thinking” interspersed throughout the process.

Previously, the chatbot would “think” through a prompt provided by a user before generating a response. The “interleaved” allows the model to “think” between each action, strengthening its research capabilities.

This process is integral to powerful research tools like OpenAI’s Deep Research, which can handle complex queries. For instance, after opening a webpage, the model may need to “think” about the credibility of the information it reads before deciding whether to consult another document to verify the findings.

Other Chinese start-ups, including Kimi AI model developer Moonshot AI, have recently added a “deep research” mode to their chatbots. Photo: Shutterstock
Other Chinese start-ups, including Kimi AI model developer Moonshot AI, have recently added a “deep research” mode to their chatbots. Photo: Shutterstock

A test by the Post showed that DeepSeek’s chatbot does not always deploy this “deep research” mode unless prompted with complicated queries. Once the feature is deployed, the user is able to see each step of the “interleaved thinking” process.

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