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![](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://econotimes.com/Xiaomis-AI-Model-Hunter-Alpha-Mistaken-for-DeepSeeks-Next-Release-1736719/&media=https://f1.econotimes.com/2025/03/e131um5tk1.jpg&description=Xiaomi's AI Model "Hunter Alpha" Mistaken for DeepSeek's Next Release - EconoTimes)
A mysterious artificial intelligence model that appeared anonymously on the developer platform OpenRouter last week has been identified as a product of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, not the widely anticipated next release from DeepSeek as many had speculated. The model, called Hunter Alpha, surfaced on March 11 without any developer attribution, quickly sparking rumors that it could be a stealth test of DeepSeek-V4, the highly anticipated follow-up to the models that shook global tech markets last year.
DeepSeek's low-cost models V3 and R1 triggered a massive tech stock selloff, prompting investors to question whether U.S. AI companies truly needed to pour billions into computing infrastructure. Ever since, anticipation for DeepSeek-V4 has been intense, with Chinese media reporting a potential April launch.
Xiaomi's AI division, MiMo, led by former DeepSeek researcher Luo Fuli, confirmed Wednesday that Hunter Alpha is actually an early internal test build of MiMo-V2-Pro, a model designed to power AI agents capable of executing complex tasks with minimal human input. Luo described the moment as a "quiet ambush," noting how rapidly the industry has shifted from conversational AI to autonomous agent systems.
During testing by Reuters, Hunter Alpha identified itself as a Chinese AI model with a knowledge cutoff of May 2025, matching what DeepSeek's own chatbot had reported, which further fueled the initial confusion. The model also declined to name its developer, adding to the mystery.
What drew widespread attention was Hunter Alpha's impressive technical profile, including one trillion parameters and a one-million-token context window offered completely free. Engineers noted that most frontier models with comparable capabilities come at significant cost.
The model rapidly topped OpenRouter's usage leaderboard, surpassing one trillion tokens processed, confirming strong early adoption and making Xiaomi a notable new player in the competitive AI landscape.
