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Tencent eyes its own ChatGPT-style service for super app WeChat as Chinese tech companies heat up the global AI arms race

  • Tencent plans to take its time in launching its own ChatGPT-style products to market
  • The firm expects generative AI technology to be a ‘growth multiplier’ that enhances its core video gaming and social media operations

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Tencent Holdings laid out its strategy for generative artificial intelligence technology after reporting its fourth-quarter financial results. Photo: Shutterstock
Iris Dengin ShenzhenandTracy Quin Shanghai
Tencent Holdings is in no hurry to launch its own ChatGPT-style products that could include a chatbot embedded into its flagship super app WeChat, as the Chinese video gaming and social media giant outlined its plans in this field for the first time amid a global artificial intelligence (AI) arms race.
Shenzhen-based Tencent expected generative AI technology to be a “growth multiplier” that will enhance the company’s video gaming and social media operations, instead of a threat to these businesses, Tencent president Martin Lau Chi-ping told reporters and analysts on Wednesday after the firm released its fourth-quarter financial results.

“Our strategy is that we will try to do it right rather than do it in a rush,” said Lau, who indicated that a chatbot will be one of the generative AI-based applications that Tencent plans to launch. “We want to make sure that the foundation model [being developed by the company] is actually built correctly and on solid footing.”

“It’s natural for us to incorporate some of these technologies into our flagship products, such as Weixin and QQ … if there’s a good chatbot service that we develop,” Lau said, adding that generative AI technology can also help developers build mini programs faster.

Generative AI refers to algorithms that can be used to create new content, including text, audio, images, video and simulations.

“Our business is unlikely to be subverted by [generative AI] technology, but we can make good use of this technology to further improve the experience we provide to users,” Lau said. He indicated that it would be hard, for example, to create a new video game purely with AI-generated content, but the technology can help improve the efficiency to achieve gaming innovation.

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