Tencent Unveils AI Model Tailored for Corporate Use Amid Intensifying Competition in China

07 Sep, 2023

Tencent Unveils AI Model Tailored for Corporate Use Amid Intensifying Competition in China

Chinese tech giant Tencent is set to unveil its AI model called "Hunyuan" for corporate applications during an annual summit, according to Dowson Tong, the CEO of Tencent's cloud and smart industries group. This announcement comes shortly after Baidu introduced a range of AI-powered applications following more favorable regulatory conditions.

Tencent had previously been conducting internal tests of its Hunyuan AI model in the fields of advertising and fintech. Additionally, the company is gearing up to launch an AI chatbot. Tencent is integrating Hunyuan's capabilities into its existing video conferencing and social media products, as Tong revealed in an exclusive interview with CNBC.

Tencent, known for its messaging and payment app WeChat and Tencent Meeting video conferencing platform, is joining the ranks of Chinese tech companies that have received approval to release AI-powered chatbots to the public. These chatbots, similar to ChatGPT, aim to provide human-like conversational responses, primarily in Chinese, with some, like Baidu's Ernie bot, offering text-to-image and video conversion through plugins.

ChatGPT, however, is not officially accessible in China, as the introduction of these chatbots aligns with recent Chinese regulations on generative AI, effective since August 15.

When asked about these regulations, Tong emphasized the importance of establishing guidelines for this emerging technology. He emphasized the need for quality control to prevent the spread of false information, given the novelty of AI's societal impact.

Notably, the "interim" rules that came into effect in August do not apply to companies developing AI technology, provided it remains unavailable to the general public. This is a more lenient stance compared to an earlier draft that proposed regulations even during the research and development stage.

Despite China's increased support for generative AI, Chinese companies still encounter constraints due to U.S. restrictions on acquiring advanced semiconductors, particularly GPUs (graphics processing units) essential for training AI models. Tong acknowledged these limitations but expressed hope that GPU supply would increase in the coming months, accelerating technological advancements.

Tencent is just one of several Chinese companies, ranging from startups to smartphone manufacturer Huawei, that have rushed to introduce AI products in 2023. In August, Alibaba also opened its AI model to third-party developers.

Tong emphasized that the value of artificial intelligence lies in industry-specific training, listing potential business applications in tourism, finance, public services, and customer support. He believes that many customers can benefit from leveraging open-source models and training their own models with enterprise data to meet specific industrial needs.