China’s AI champion SenseTime hits consumer market for first time with US$299 chess-playing robot
- The SenseRobot was launched on Tuesday and is priced at 1,999 yuan (US$299) for the standard model
- Consumer foray comes as AI firm struggles to turn a profit from core AI technologies, aimed at manufacturing and surveillance
Chinese artificial intelligence giant SenseTime, which is subject to US sanctions, has launched its first consumer-facing product – a robot that can play Chinese chess.
The SenseRobot, unveiled on Tuesday and priced at 1,999 yuan (US$299) for the standard model and 2,499 yuan for a pro version, consists of a mechanical arm, a camera and a chess board. The robot is able to move pieces around the board and spot mistakes the human player makes.
The foray into consumer products comes as SenseTime struggles to turn a profit from its commercial AI technologies, aimed at manufacturing processes and surveillance applications. The company has been caught in the crossfire of an escalating tech war between the US and China.
In 2019 the Trump administration added SenseTime to the US Entity List for allegedly being complicit in human rights violations in the Xinjiang region. In December 2021, the Biden Administration placed SenseTime on a US list of “Chinese military-industrial complex companies,” accusing it of “human rights abuse enabled by the malign use of technology” and subjecting it to sanctions. SenseTime has denied the allegations.
The US sanctions, which ban American funds from investing in SenseTime, coincided with the day for the pricing of the company’s shares in a Hong Kong initial public offering. Pricing was delayed and SenseTime had to delay its stock sale.