Does the future of artificial intelligence lie in social media?

AI apps blend with social for increased user engagement.

: Chinese AI companies like Moonshot AI are integrating social features into their products to enhance user engagement and retention. Platforms such as Xiaohongshu are supporting AI innovation through community-driven events, showing how feedback and social interaction foster product development. Major tech players like ByteDance, Baidu, and Tencent are leveraging their existing ecosystems to embed AI within user networks, blurring the line between tools and communities. As AI tools seek more emotional and lasting user connections, merging with social media may offer the stickiness and inspiration traditional utility apps lack.

The merging of AI capabilities with social media platforms is increasingly becoming a focus for Chinese tech companies. Leading developers are integrating community-driven features to enhance user interaction and retention. This trend is evident in Moonshot AI's recent initiatives, where they are testing interactive community features within their AI assistant, Kimi. The goal of this development is to fix any product issues before a general rollout, thus boosting user retention by intertwining social elements with AI tools.

The interest in combining AI with social media is also part of a broader trend observed in various tech companies. Xiaohongshu, a prominent Chinese social media platform, held its inaugural AI developer competition. This platform acts both as a feedback and promotion engine for new AI ideas. Social media, therefore, is not just a channel for AI distribution but becomes a vital element for inspiration and retention. During the competition, developers benefitted from the community's collaborative nature, which helped refine and promote innovative projects in the AI sector.

Industry insiders, as reported by Jiemian, liken the current phase of AI tool utility to the nascent mobile app era, noting that the challenge remains in making users stay engaged longer. Currently, AI applications, from ChatGPT to DeepSeek, serve as straightforward tools with limited emotional engagement. The solution proposed by some players is to weave community features more intricately into AI offerings, thereby encouraging longer user engagement through relationship-driven interactions.

AI firms already subtly benefit from social interactions. For instance, ByteDance's Doubao yields insights from its Douyin platform user data to enhance recommendations. Baidu utilizes data from its search engine and other resources, although not traditional social platforms, they provide diverse user engagement scenarios. Tencent's Yuanbao achieved brief success on Apple's China App Store by leveraging its ecosystem, which includes the popular social media WeChat. In contrast, DeepSeek is opting to focus purely on model development without added community-oriented products.

There remains a question whether AI-driven social products can challenge established social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu or Weibo. However, there's a growing acknowledgement of the synergy between powerful AI models and social interaction that could transform how users engage with technology. The necessity for AI tools to transcend beyond single-use solutions to foster community and emotional connections is increasingly recognized in the industry. This bet on AI integrated with community features, supported by today's AI developments, is gaining interest across various players in the sector.

Sources: 36Kr, TechNode, Jiemian

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