Tencent's AI chatbot teaser sparks excitement amidst Chinese tech boom
Tencent teases AI chatbot launch amidst China's tech competition, reflecting the nation's growing focus on AI development.
Highlights
- Tencent stirs excitement with a preview of its AI chatbot on WeChat, showcasing its content creation abilities
- Tencent unveils ‘HunyuanAide’ on WeChat, signalling its push into AI with a ChatGPT-like chatbot project
In a spirited move that signifies China's escalating race to harness artificial intelligence (AI), Tencent Holdings, the country's internet giant, has teased the imminent launch of an AI chatbot. On a recent Wednesday, Tencent's headquarters in Shenzhen created a buzz across social media, specifically on WeChat, as it set the stage for a two-day summit set to kick off the following day.
What ignited this digital buzz was a demo conversation shared in the post, showcasing a user's interaction with an AI chatbot that skillfully assisted in crafting promotional content.
HunyuanAide emerges as a key player
Amidst this fervour, Tencent introduced a new mini-program dubbed ‘HunyuanAide’ within WeChat. However, as of Wednesday, the public remained unable to access this intriguing innovation. Earlier this year, Tencent unveiled an ambitious project to develop a chatbot akin to ChatGPT, aptly named ‘HunyuanAide.’ This revelation hints at Tencent's determined pursuit of AI excellence in the face of mounting competition.
China's AI chatbot revolution gains momentum
Tencent's strategic move comes hot on the heels of China's recent green light for AI chatbots, permitting them to be released for public use. Leading tech giants in China, such as Baidu Inc and SenseTime Group, leaped into action, unveiling their AI chatbots just last week.
Tencent, however, has been steadily cultivating its AI model ‘Hunyuan' for several months, emphasising its commitment to advancing the technology. Last month, the company expanded the internal testing of this promising AI model, signalling its eagerness to stay at the forefront of the AI revolution.
Despite the excitement surrounding Tencent's AI endeavours, the company's shares experienced a marginal dip of around 0.43 percent on the Hong Kong stock exchange, although the broader market remained stable.
This minor setback does little to dampen the enthusiasm that Tencent's foray into AI chatbots has ignited, as it reflects the broader trend of Chinese tech giants vying to master AI technology and redefine the future of digital interaction.
