You can now talk to Xiaowei AI assistant in WeChat
What's the story
Tencent Holdings has introduced a new artificial intelligence (AI) assistant, Xiaowei, into its super app WeChat. The company announced the development in a statement today. The move comes as part of Tencent's strategy to keep pace with other tech giants in China's rapidly evolving AI landscape. The new feature is currently being tested by a select group of users within the app.
Functionality
Users can interact with Xiaowei using text or voice commands
Xiaowei, the new AI assistant, can be interacted with via text or voice commands. The tool is designed to help users complete a range of tasks by accessing mini-apps within WeChat. Although the specific capabilities of Xiaowei are not yet detailed by WeChat, it is known that the super app already hosts mini-programs for food delivery and ride-hailing services.
Tech details
Xiaowei relies on WeLM and DeepSeek
Xiaowei primarily relies on Weixin's proprietary large language model (LLM) WeLM, but can also use DeepSeek to handle certain queries. This dual approach is a strategic move by Tencent to leverage its own technology while also utilizing external resources when necessary. The successful integration of advanced AI capabilities into WeChat could give Tencent an edge over other major Chinese players in the tech space and help monetize this new technology.
Market dynamics
Tencent lags behind rivals in AI adoption
Tencent is currently lagging behind rivals like ByteDance and Alibaba in terms of user adoption and progress in building sophisticated LLMs. The introduction of Xiaowei could be a game-changer for the company, helping it close the gap with its competitors. Chinese tech companies are increasingly embedding more advanced AI capabilities into their super apps to keep users engaged on their platforms.