At Beijing’s AI-Themed Bar DeepSeek Tokens Are Being Offered Alongside Drinks

In Beijing’s Zhongguancun technology district, artificial intelligence has become part of the bar experience, where customers can enjoy drinks while accessing free AI tools. AGI Bar, founded by independent AI developer Song De, has become a gathering place for developers, investors and students interested in China’s rapidly expanding artificial intelligence industry.

Song opened AGI Bar last year in Zhongguancun, a major technology hub in Beijing’s Haidian district. The name refers to artificial general intelligence, a concept describing AI systems capable of surpassing human intelligence. For Song, the connection between AI and alcohol is clear: both can involve hallucinations, bubbles and distillation.

The bar is located on Inno Way, a startup-focused street close to Tsinghua University and Peking University, two leading institutions that produce technology and AI talent. Offices belonging to major Chinese and Western technology companies, including DeepSeek and Microsoft, are also nearby.

The location has helped turn the bar into a meeting point for people across the AI sector. Song said customers from different laboratories, competing companies and universities often gather at the same tables to exchange views about developments in the industry.

AGI Bar has also hosted events for Chinese AI laboratories such as Z.ai. Developer seminars, open-source AI discussions and university research gatherings are regularly held at the venue, further strengthening its role as an informal meeting place for Beijing’s technology community.

Song believes Haidian’s established research institutions, concentration of internet companies, investment activity and venture capital incubators make the district particularly suitable for an AI-focused business.

Inside the bar, the technology theme is difficult to miss. Walls feature logos and merchandise from major Chinese AI companies, along with colourful figurines. A large brass gong used by Z.ai when the company was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in January is displayed prominently outside the entrance.

The bar reflects the wider push in China to expand artificial intelligence across the economy and society. AI adoption has extended beyond technology companies, with retirees using AI agents and coding education becoming increasingly common among primary school students. At the same time, the rapid development of AI has contributed to job disruption and encouraged universities to incorporate artificial intelligence into their academic programmes.

 Free DeepSeek Access Draws AI Enthusiasts

AGI Bar’s signature drink is also named AGI. The beverage, a glass of foam, costs 9.9 yuan, or about $1.50. But the drink is not the only attraction.

Customers using the bar’s WiFi can connect to its AI agent and receive unlimited free DeepSeek tokens for coding. The service operates through two Nvidia DGX Spark computers displayed inside the venue.

Song views artificial intelligence as a future public utility, comparable to water, electricity and the internet. He argues that AI should be as easily accessible as WiFi.

The bar’s registered Chinese name translates roughly as “knowledge distillation,” creating a wordplay around both alcohol production and a technical AI process. In artificial intelligence, knowledge distillation involves transferring knowledge from larger AI models to smaller ones. Song said the same concept can describe the exchange of ideas that takes place between people in a bar.

 AI Automation and Plans for Humanoid Robots

Although AGI Bar continues to employ staff, many of its routine operations have already been automated. An AI agent is used to manage areas including inventory, reservations, utilities and membership systems.

Song plans to expand the bar’s Beijing premises this year because of strong demand. He also wants to introduce humanoid robots to serve drinks, linking the business to another major area of China’s technology development. A Shanghai branch was opened in June.

According to Song, lighting, software and hardware at the bar have been connected to application programming interfaces so they can be managed through AI systems. His aim is to reduce the amount of human labour required for repetitive operational work.

Despite the attention surrounding the concept, the business has yet to become profitable. Song acknowledged that AGI Bar is losing money and said the quantity of drinks given away is about 10 times greater than the number sold.

Even so, the venue has become an unusual example of how China’s AI boom is influencing everyday businesses and social spaces. At AGI Bar, conversations about artificial intelligence, access to computing resources and traditional nightlife have been brought together under one roof.