Tencent tests AI assistant in China's most popular app as it looks to catch up with rivals

Chinese tech company Tencent is a gaming giant and the parent company of WeChat, the ubiquitous social messaging app in China. Cheng Xin | Getty Images News | Getty Images Tencent on Monday said it is testing an AI assistant within WeChat in China as the tech giant looks to step up efforts to challenge rivals in the country's competitive artificial intelligence market. Xiaowei, "a native AI assistant," is being tested "on a small scale" in Weixin, the Chinese version of WeChat, Tencent said in a statement translated by CNBC. Users can interact with Xiaowei with text or voice, communicate with friends and launch "mini-programs," Tencent added. Mini-programs are apps that run inside of WeChat. Tencent executives have been mulling further integration of AI into WeChat since last year, with investors watching closely to see if this can be a new revenue stream and a way to monetize AI. WeChat and Weixin have more than 1.4 billion monthly active users combined, with the majority in China. It is an indispensable part of daily life in China, where people use the app to message friends, make payments, book restaurants and much more. By integrating an AI tool into an app with a huge user base, Tencent has an opportunity to capture a large number of them for its services. The company did not give further details about the capabilities Xiaowei would have or what AI models it is based on. …