Chinese technology conglomerate Tencent Holdings has unveiled its large language model (LLM) service tailored for various industries, following the trend set by ChatGPT. Tencent Cloud, the company’s cloud division, introduced the LLM as a model-as-a-service (MaaS) solution during a recent technical event in Beijing. The LLM is a deep language learning model designed to simulate human-like conversations, serving as the underlying technology for ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, a start-up supported by Microsoft.
According to a post on Tencent’s official WeChat account, the LLM service provided by Tencent Cloud will cater to sectors such as finance, media, travel, and education. The company has already secured notable clients, including China Media Group (Chinese state media), Shanghai University, and Fujian Big Data Group. At the event, Tang Daosheng, Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent and CEO of the Cloud and Smart Industries Group, announced the launch of more than 50 LLM-enabled solutions across more than ten industries in collaboration with these clients.
Tencent’s entry into the LLM market in China puts it in direct competition with rivals Baidu and Alibaba Group Holding, which strive to introduce their respective LLM applications for widespread adoption in the business world. Notably, Baidu launched its competitor service, Ernie Bot, earlier this year, aiming to integrate the AI chatbot into its existing offerings, including its search engine. Over 650 companies have already signed up to incorporate Ernie Bot into their services, as announced during Baidu’s launch event.
Alibaba’s cloud division has also integrated ChatGPT-like AI technology into its suite of services. For instance, it has implemented the AI assistant Tingwu for meetings and the office collaboration platform DingTalk, similar to Slack.
Apart from the recent introduction of the industrial LLM service, Tencent is working on a foundational AI model named Hunyuan, which is yet to be released. As Tencent joins the race to harness the potential of AI, inspired by the success of ChatGPT, major Chinese technology firms are striving to establish their own competitive AI services.
