Tencent’s ChatGPT rival gets special task force of executives as it joins Baidu, Alibaba in AI gold rush

The team behind Tencent’s HunyuanAide chatbot is led by Zhang Zhengyou, who heads the company’s AI Lab and Robotics X Lab. Tencent is part of a Big Tech race to create a domestic alternative to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has been effectively banned in China. — SCMP

Chinese social media and video gaming giant Tencent Holdings has set up a team led by its top scientist to develop a ChatGPT-like product, Chinese media outlet 36Kr reported on Monday, as the country’s largest tech firms including Baidu and Alibaba Group Holding rush to develop domestic artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots.

The team behind HunyuanAide, as Tencent has named the bot, is a cross-departmental effort led by Zhang Zhengyou, who heads the company’s AI Lab and Robotics X Lab. Other members include company executives from its strategy and development unit, data platform, Tencent Cloud and video gaming unit, according to an organisation chart published by 36kr. A person familiar with the matter confirmed work on the HunyuanAide project.