(Yicai) March 12 -- Even though artificial intelligence models are widely used, it is still unclear whether their user traffic can be effectively converted into commercial value, according to professionals.

DeepSeek recorded huge numbers in the early days, which generated widespread media attention but not commercial value, Ma Yue, chairman of Open Source China, told Yicai.

The number of active users of Chinese AI model apps exceeded 120 million last December, up 232 percent from a year earlier, according to data from QuestMobile. But DeepSeek’s app alone was downloaded 110 million times since its launch as of Feb. 9.

DeepSeek said on March 1 that its AI models DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1 have a theoretical daily revenue of about USD562,000, with a cost profit margin of up to 545 percent. However, it warned that its actual revenue is much lower for reasons including that it only charges for using its application programming interface, while its app and website remain free to access.

About the commercialization of AI search, a representative from Chinese question-and-answer platform Zhihu said that the priority now is to enhance user experience and build awareness, which can lay the groundwork for exploring monetization opportunities in the future.

Integrating DeepSeek into terminal devices merely scratches the surface of AI applications, said Li Dahai, chief executive officer of Chinese LLM developer ModelBest. Real-world applications will likely emerge in the second half of this year, with automobiles and smartphones being the main development scenarios of 2025, he added.

The launch of AI personal computers will not bolster the laptop market, but AI functions will gradually become a standard, said Huang Shufang, an analyst at market research firm TrendForce. The AI PC penetration rate is expected to reach 21.7 percent this year and 80 percent by 2029, she predicted.

As its user base continues to grow, DeepSeek can become an Android-like ecosystem for AI apps to support their development, a financial investor told Yicai. However, it is unclear what kind of AI apps will ultimately stand out, he noted, adding that the strategy remains to closely monitoring for now.

Editor: Futura Costaglione