Tencent Holdings is testing a new AI assistant inside WeChat, China’s most widely used messaging and super-app platform, according to multiple reports. The tests are positioned as part of Tencent’s push to expand its AI services and respond to intensifying competition from other technology firms in China’s fast-moving artificial intelligence market.
Quartz reports that the assistant, referred to as “Xiaowei,” is being rolled out in a limited way and is accessible through WeChat. Users can interact with it through text or voice to help complete tasks across WeChat’s existing ecosystem, including its large library of “mini-programs.”
Bloomberg and CNBC describe the effort broadly as an internal testing stage that leverages WeChat’s scale to bring AI features to a broad user base. Investing.com similarly states that Tencent has started testing the AI assistant for WeChat users in China, though it provides limited additional detail in its synopsis.
Across outlets, the core points are that Tencent is conducting a test of an AI assistant in WeChat, using the platform’s reach and mini-program environment to deliver task-oriented functionality.
