AI and alcohol share three key traits, says Beijing bar owner Song De: hallucinations, bubbles and distillation. With AI interest rising across China, Song aims for his venue to benefit. He launched AGI Bar, referencing artificial general intelligence where systems exceed human capabilities, last year in Zhongguancun, the city’s tech district in Haidian. The spot now attracts Beijing AI developers, investors and students. People from various labs, rival firms and universities gather at tables to discuss sector trends, Song noted. An independent AI developer in his thirties who manages the bar part-time, he chose a spot on Zhongguancun’s Inno Way startup street near top universities like Tsinghua and Peking that train leading Chinese AI talent, plus offices of major Chinese and foreign tech companies such as DeepSeek and Microsoft. The bar has held events for Chinese AI labs including Z.ai and often hosts developer talks, open-source AI meetings and university research gatherings. Song called the location highly advantageous, noting Haidian has long been central to Chinese scientific research, with internet firms clustered there and a tech environment, industry funding and venture incubators boosting the field. Walls inside feature logos, colorful figures and items from major Chinese AI companies, while a large brass gong used by Z.ai for its Hong Kong listing in January stands outside. The bar reflects China’s push to leverage AI for an advanced economy, which has encouraged retirees to use AI agents and made coding classes common in primary schools. This shift has caused some job changes and led universities to include AI in programs. The signature AGI drink costs 9.9 yuan, or about 1.50 dollars, and is a glass of foam. Patrons can link via WiFi to the bar’s AI agent for free unlimited DeepSeek tokens for coding, powered by two Nvidia DGX Spark computers on view. Song described AI as a future public utility akin to water, electricity and the internet, saying it should function like WiFi and that its discovery surpasses the Industrial Revolution in importance. The bar’s official Chinese name translates to knowledge distillation, a playful reference to both liquor and AI model processes. Song explained it as an AI term for moving knowledge from large models to smaller ones, while also applying to human exchanges in a bar setting. Though the bar still uses staff, Song has automated inventory, reservations, utilities and membership via an AI agent. Due to strong interest, he plans to enlarge the Beijing space this year and introduce humanoid robots to serve drinks. A Shanghai location opened in June. Song said all lighting, software and hardware connect to APIs for AI handling to avoid wasting human effort on routine tasks. Like many Chinese open-weight models available at lower cost than U.S. proprietary ones, the bar has not yet turned a profit. Song stated it loses money, with drinks given away exceeding sales by ten times.
