--- title: "Elon Musk Just Suffered a Humiliating Defeat in China" description: "Elon Musk's own Grok will be taking a backseat in Chinese Teslas in favor of the ultra-efficient DeepSeek." date: "2025-08-24" modified: "2025-08-24" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-deepseek-china" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "china" - "deepseek" - "elon musk" - "grok" - "tesla" --- # Elon Musk Just Suffered a Humiliating Defeat in China ![Elon Musk's own Grok will be taking a backseat in Chinese Teslas in favor of the ultra-efficient DeepSeek.]() *\Image: Marc Piasecki / Getty / Futurism\* So far, 2025 hasn't exactly been a year of resounding success for centibillionaire Elon Musk's AI efforts. The richest man on earth has struggled to get xAI's Grok off the ground, with setbacks taking the form of [privacy scandals](), [misinformation controversies](), not to mention a highly-public [white supremacy episode](). And now, more than a month after Musk promised to [roll Grok out]() to Teslas "next week," it turns out a Chinese AI model will be taking the chatbot's place. According [to *Bloomberg*](), Tesla's Chinese division is planning to introduce in-car voice assistance via DeepSeek and Bytedance's AI models at some point in the near future. Essentially, the voice-controlled software will let drivers utilize amenities like navigation apps and climate control hands-free. Bytedance's [Doubao](), the company's flagship large language model (LLM) chatbot, will process user voice commands, while DeepSeek will handle "AI interaction," *Bloomberg* reported. It's not clear why Grok wasn't chosen for this honor, given the [staggering amount of money]() Musk is pouring into xAI. The foul-mouthed chatbot began trickling out to US-based Teslas in the last month, with [mixed results](). *Bloomberg*, though, speculates that the western company could have hit some legal hurdles involved with integrating American tech into Chinese cars. Other theories abound, like that Chinese consumers simply have no interest in Grok, despite its availability, unlike other US AI models — at least not compared to DeepSeek, which has become a symbol of [national pride]() for the People's Republic since its open-source V3 model [shocked the world]() earlier this year. Known as the "low-cost equivalent" to heftier AI models developed in the US, DeepSeek recently released its impressive [V3.1 model](), which is said to score only slightly lower than Grok 4 on [intelligence tests](), and at one twelfth the cost. There's also the question of perception, with Musk's empire in China [rapidly crumbling]() over the past year; even the US government-funded [*Voice of America* reported]() earlier this year that Chinese netizens were "not impressed" with previous versions of Grok. DeepSeek, meanwhile, has [inked deals]() with two dozen Chinese automakers, including the [Tesla-killer BYD](), to install its software in new vehicles. "While many recognize DeepSeek’s achievements, this represents just the beginning of China’s AI innovation wave," Louis Liang, an AI investor [told *Bloomberg*]() of the previous deals. "We are witnessing the advent of AI mass adoption — this goes beyond national competition." **More on Grok:** [*Community Complains of Choking Fumes From Elon Musk's AI Fortress*]() ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()