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Chinese AI social media apps see demand rise in overseas markets amid slow mainland adoption
- Shanghai-based generative AI start-up MiniMax, which counts Alibaba as a major investor, has succeeded in the US on the back of its popular Talkie app
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Coco Fengin Beijing
A number of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) companies are seeing greater demand for their social media applications in overseas markets, as adoption on the mainland has been slower by comparison.
Shanghai-based MiniMax – a generative AI start-up that counts South China Morning Post owner Alibaba Group Holding as a major investor – has become a prime example of such overseas success on the back of its Talkie app, which saw its traffic more than double to 1.32 million views in May, according to AIcpb.com, a site that tracks the popularity of AI products worldwide.
The Talkie AI app, which competes in a market segment led by Character.ai, enables users to customise avatars and interact with virtual chat buddies. Although Character.ai reached 318 million views last month, Talkie’s more than 150 per cent monthly growth rate was faster than its rival’s 21.6 per cent monthly growth rate, according to AIcpb.com.
Meanwhile, the Talkie app’s Chinese version, Xingye, amassed just 422,000 views in May, AIcpb.com data showed.
The comparatively weak showing of the app’s mainland version is in stark contrast to the growing momentum for Chinese generative AI apps in international markets.
Coco Feng joined the Post in 2019, covering the technology and internet sector from the Greater Bay Area. Previously, she worked at the Post's Beijing bureau.
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