Public services embracing DeepSeek

"I would like to register a company."

When that request was entered into Beijing's Enterprise Registration E-Window Service Platform, a chatbot quickly responded with: "Alright. Please confirm the type of entity you intend to establish." After a brief exchange, the chatbot accurately understood the user's needs and, using DeepSeek's large language model, generated precise guidelines.

DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, has sparked a new wave of global discussions on AI.Its high-performance, cost-effective LLMs are being integrated into government services across Beijing to boost efficiency, enhance user experience, and cut costs.

On March 4, the Beijing Administration for Market Regulation integrated DeepSeek into its Enterprise Registration E-Window Service Platform, enabling 24-hour online consultation.

Wang Jian, deputy director of the administration's government service center, told The Beijing News that unlike traditional keyword-based Q&A services, the DeepSeek-backed chatbot can recognize intents and understand semantics, offering personalized services while reducing labor costs.

He said the tool can identify incorrectly written characters, comprehend dialects and incoherent sentences, and interpret complex, colloquial queries with over 90 percent accuracy. It also keeps up with policy changes, verifies its responses and supports voice messages, he said.

Previously, government services were provided primarily through hotlines and service windows, resulting in long wait times. Traditional preset Q&As on official websites often fell short in offering comprehensive and personalized answers.

Zhao Shubin, director of the government service center, told Beijing Youth Daily that they have conducted multiple rounds of chatbot testing with senior registration officials to improve its performance, focusing on the accuracy, completeness and user-friendliness of its responses.

"We will explore the technical feasibility of integrating the chatbot with the e-window platform to introduce a 'chat while processing' feature, which would guide applicants step-by-step in filling out forms," Zhao added.

In addition to government services, DeepSeek has been deployed to assist grassroots governance and traffic management. In Fengtai district, it aids community workers in quickly accessing information.

Wang Ruyi, a government hotline operator in Fengtai, said handling uncertain issues previously required lengthy database and website searches. Now, a DeepSeek-backed digital assistant can instantly provide relevant procedures and policies.

In Changping district, a DeepSeek-powered "city operation assistant "can quickly detect imbalances in public transport services by analyzing commercial areas' event schedules and real-time traffic conditions.

For example, an alert about a 200 percent surge in pedestrian traffic near the Fun Capital leisure resort popped up on a large screen at the district's city management authority on Feb 22. Zhao Zi, who was on duty at the time, used the city operation assistant to generate an emergency plan within 20 minutes. The plan, which involved deploying additional buses, was implemented following management approval.

This proactive approach ensured smooth traffic flows during peak hours, increasing the efficiency of bus operations by 65 percent and reducing passenger wait times by half an hour. Zhao Zi said that before adopting DeepSeek, handling such alerts and coordinating additional capacity required manual data cross-referencing and took at least two hours.

Despite its tremendous benefits, the accuracy and stability of AI still requires validation through extensive application. Zhao Zi noted that government work demands accountability for AI-generated answers and that final solutions still require manual verification, which places high demands on public servants, urging them to continually deepen their understanding of their work, the industry and technology.