Tencent Holdings Ltd is preparing to launch an AI agent for its Slack-like enterprise communication app, intensifying a high-stakes battle among Chinese tech giants to lock users into their ecosystems in the post-ChatGPT era.
The agent has begun rollout to select users on WeCom, the enterprise version of super app WeChat, according to a social media post by Tencent public relations head Zhang Jun on June 23. Named Dayuan, this assistant tool is built on DeepSeek’s latest V4 model and allows users to interact with it in natural language, Zhang said.
With Dayuan, Tencent seeks to distinguish its offerings from other AI productivity tools by leveraging the vast trove of data already stored within WeCom. The agent can analyse a corporate user’s own group chats, emails, and calendar entries to help them better assess customer feedback and interact with clients. It can also automate recurring tasks such as compiling daily industry briefs or drafting weekly reports, according to a screenshot Zhang shared in the post.
WeChat, the crown jewel of Tencent’s sprawling internet portfolio, is preparing to integrate its service with AI-native agents while its parent company is trying to catch up with Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and ByteDance Ltd in AI user adoption and the development of large language models. WeChat’s flagship consumer app is testing a separate assistant to help users automate daily tasks, mirroring features deployed by Alibaba’s Qwen and Ant Group Co’s Alipay.
WeCom competes with Alibaba’s DingTalk and ByteDance’s Lark in China’s workplace collaboration market. These applications serve as front ends for their respective cloud divisions, which are experiencing a surge in demand driven by AI token consumption from individual developers and corporate clients. WeCom’s primary edge lies in its direct integration with WeChat’s ubiquitous consumer ecosystem, an edge Tencent enjoys over Alibaba and ByteDance. – Bloomberg
