Chinese AI firm SenseTime downsizes Singapore office amid post-ChatGPT competition

SenseTime Group is reducing its office footprint in Singapore, scaling back once-lofty ambitions at a time it is struggling to compete in the post-ChatGPT era.

The Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer is moving from a prime downtown location to a smaller office in a less expensive neighbourhood, people familiar with the matter said.

SenseTime is downsizing at a time fellow tech firms including ByteDance are expanding abroad, seeking to escape an economic downturn back home. The retreat underscores how SenseTime, which in 2023 lost Alibaba Group Holding as a financial backer, is grappling with new rivals in a crowded AI arena.

It also reflects the changing fortunes of Singapore’s prime office market, which has depended on expansions from deep-pocketed Chinese firms in recent years. That is now softening as companies cut costs and real estate supply rises.