Smartphone manufacturer Honor updated its on-device assistant Yoyo to include integration with AI model DeepSeek R1 for users in China.
The upgrade is available to users with devices running its MagicOS 8.0 software and above.
Honor noted the move unlocked DeepSeek’s advanced natural language processing, logical reasoning, and contextual understanding capabilities for its on-device assistant.
It claims integration will make the smart assistant more intuitive, efficient, and capable of delivering personalised interactions.
Chinese start-up DeepSeek rocked the international AI industry when it launched its AI model last month. The model was positioned as having been developed at a fraction of the typical cost and utilised less-advanced chips.
However, the technology faces mounting global pushback over security and data sovereignty concerns.
Last week, Australia was amongst the first countries to ban the model’s use in government systems, while the US government initiated a security assessment of the model, citing national security implications.