Tesla upgrades EV voice assistant system with AI from DeepSeek and ByteDance

Tesla is rolling out an upgraded voice assistant system for its electric vehicles (EVs) in mainland China, adopting artificial intelligence from DeepSeek and ByteDance to better engage with customers in the world's largest automotive market.

DeepSeek's namesake chatbot would be used for "AI interaction", which enables a Tesla EV's driver to have casual conversations with the system, while also getting the latest news and weather information, according to the updated terms of use posted this month on the US carmaker's mainland website.

ByteDance's Doubao large language model (LLM) would facilitate voice commands for navigation as well as in-vehicle media and amenities such as air conditioning, according to the updated terms.

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A user activates the upgraded voice assistant system by saying "Hey, Tesla" or another designated phrase, providing a more intuitive approach than clicking a button on either the EV's steering wheel or multimedia terminal.

Volcano Engine, the cloud computing services unit of ByteDance, is responsible for the AI systems integration using an encrypted application programming interface, a protocol that enables different software applications to communicate.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Visitors check out a Tesla electric vehicle on display at the third China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on July 16, 2025. Photo: EPA alt=Visitors check out a Tesla electric vehicle on display at the third China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing on July 16, 2025. Photo: EPA>

Tesla's latest initiative reflects the carmaker's efforts to boost orders on the mainland's highly competitive EV market, as the AI systems from DeepSeek and ByteDance would appeal to domestic buyers.

Details on when Tesla's upgraded voice assistant system would be available and on which models remain unknown. Tesla's recently launched six-seat Model Y L SUV, which supports a voice wake-up feature, will start deliveries next month.

Tesla's updated terms, meanwhile, cautioned users that AI-generated content "may be incomplete, incorrect or contextually unsuitable", adding that the technology should not be used to "endanger national security" or "disclose state secrets" as stipulated by China's laws.

Still, Tesla was nearly half a year late in adopting Chinese AI solutions. As of mid-February, more than a dozen domestic carmakers - including BYD, Geely and Stellantis-backed start-up Leapmotor - had already announced plans to release cars with DeepSeek-enabled AI features.

Total EV deliveries - comprising passenger cars and commercial vehicles like buses - slid 5 per cent from a month earlier to 1.26 million units in July, according to data from the government-backed China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. It was the first month-on-month drop in the Chinese EV market since May.

ByteDance has become a popular AI supplier for carmakers on the mainland. Last year, the TikTok and Douyin owner teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to integrate its LLM into the German carmaker's in-car systems in China.

The Beijing-based unicorn ByteDance had also formed an "automobile LLM ecosystem alliance" with more than 20 firms that included Geely and Great Wall Motor.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.