Tencent's Xiaowei AI Assistant: WeChat Integration Begins

WeChat has launched limited trials of Xiaowei, a new AI assistant. Select users can now access this assistant, which works with both voice and text inputs. Here's the thing: Xiaowei helps users interact with WeChat’s extensive mini-program network. This includes services like meal delivery, transportation, and financial transactions. The assistant is powered mostly by WeLM, Tencent’s own language model, with DeepSeek handling some specific requests. This move comes as Tencent aims to catch up with competitors like ByteDance and Alibaba in AI development. In a similar move, Ant Group has also begun AI testing within its Alipay platform. The bottom line: This integration could significantly change how 1.4 billion WeChat users engage with AI in their daily lives.