(Image credit: Photo by TMTPost AGI editor Lin Zhijia)

TMTPOST -- RedNote, or Xiaohongshu, a social and community-based platform with over 300 million monthly active users, is preparing to integrate the DeepSeek large language model into its ecosystem. The app’s new AI-powered search feature, "Deep Thinking," is currently in internal testing.

Founded in 2013, RedNote enables users to share lifestyle content through short videos and images. With the platform's rapid growth, it now boasts 320 million monthly active users and 120 million daily active users as of June 2024.

Following the removal of TikTok from U.S. app stores in early 2025, RedNote saw a surge in new users in the American market, reaching nearly 3.4 million daily active users in January 2025.

The DeepSeek integration marks Xiaohongshu's deeper commitment to AI-driven innovation. The app's standalone AI search product, "Diandian," launched in December 2024, aims to provide users with personalized, timely information on everyday topics, from food and travel to shopping and social interactions.

The inclusion of DeepSeek’s capabilities will enhance the search experience, ensuring more precise, real-time responses.

RedNote's push into AI-driven search comes as part of its broader strategy to engage users with valuable content and to drive consumer decisions. With an estimated 70% of RedNote's users participating in search activities, the integration of DeepSeek aligns with the platform's goal of providing cutting-edge, AI-powered search solutions to millions of active users.

The growing presence of AI-powered search in major applications such as WeChat, Baidu, and Alipay indicates that large-scale AI models like DeepSeek are poised to drive significant innovation in consumer-facing platforms.