Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels
China is rapidly emerging as a global leader in AI agent development, moving beyond basic chatbots to create sophisticated systems capable of autonomous task completion. These AI agents are designed to handle complex operations such as email management, travel planning, and even website design. The sector is attracting significant investment, exemplified by Wuhan-based startup Butterfly Effect’s Manus, which secured $75 million in funding and is expanding its reach internationally.
Built on large language models and leveraging workflow-based structures, these AI agents face competition from companies like Genspark and Flowith. Genspark is focusing on multi-component prompting, while Flowith is developing AI through nonlinear interaction. Beyond startups, tech giants like ByteDance and Tencent are actively developing AI agents for integration into their popular super-apps, with the potential to deeply integrate AI into daily routines.
While access to Western models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT is restricted within China, domestic chatbots like DeepSeek, Doubao, and Kimi have gained traction. However, many developers still depend on models like Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet, which requires a VPN to access. This reliance is driving efforts to improve domestic models, such as Alibaba’s Qwen. As noted in MIT Technology Review, ByteDance engineers cite the absence of accessible Claude Sonnet models as a significant constraint.
The emphasis on AI agents signifies a push toward more functional AI applications, despite early usability hurdles. ByteDance, Zhipu AI, and Tencent are releasing their AI agents, with plans for widespread automation. Tencent’s plan to integrate an AI agent into WeChat, its ubiquitous super-app, could transform AI utilization in China.
Stanford researcher Jiaxin Pei observes that established tech giants hold a considerable advantage in large-scale AI agent deployment due to their integrated service ecosystems. China’s approach diverges from the US model, with a focus on all-encompassing super-app AI integrations, unlike the vertical-specific AI agents favored in the US.