AI

Chinese technology companies have recently stepped up their efforts to develop personal artificial intelligence (AI) agents, reflecting the accelerating shift in China's AI industry toward real-world applications and commercial deployment.

LingGuang, an AI product developed by the Ant Group, has recently begun small-scale internal testing of a new version designed to rival Muse, a personal AI agent launched by US technology giant Meta, according to Sina Technology on Sunday.

People close to the project revealed that preparations for LingGuang's development in this direction began about six months ago, during which the product underwent several rounds of upgrades. The company plans to make the new version fully available this month.

Ant Group originally launched LingGuang in November 2025 as a next-generation multimodal AI assistant that interacts with users through code-driven outputs, the first of its kind in China.

The sources told Sina Technology that the core of the upgraded version transforms LingGuang from an AI assistant capable of chatting and generating applications into an AI-native personal agent equipped with long-term memory and the ability to proactively carry out tasks.

According to the report, internal testing of LingGuang 2.0 is focused on long-term tasks involving multiple variables that ordinary users may find difficult to monitor continuously. Examples include tracking market fluctuations for office workers, managing DingTalk check-ins for parents, and rearranging travel itineraries in response to flight delays or visitor restrictions at tourist attractions.

Meanwhile, Chinese technology company ByteDance also accelerated the development of its personal AI agent product ahead of the recent National Day holidays, Caixin reported on Friday, citing people within the company.

The project originated from a new initiative launched by ByteDance in April under the code name "Spell." It builds on the personal agent development direction pursued by the company's Doubao mobile assistant in 2025, when the Doubao team had already begun internal testing of related products.

In addition, in late September, Tencent launched a personal AI agent called LightVela, describing it as a "cloud-based personal assistant." The product can be accessed through WeChat and is designed to remain online around the clock to help users handle various everyday tasks, according to Caixin.

The moves by the three domestic industry leaders highlight an emerging trend in China's AI industry, as technology firms seek to move beyond chatbot-style services toward personal agents capable of remembering user preferences, planning tasks and taking action across different applications, Liu Dingding, a veteran industry analyst, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The latest developments also come as China's generative AI industry continues to expand rapidly, with a growing number of users incorporating AI tools into their daily work and home lives.

According to the Generative AI Application Development Report (2026), released by an institute under the China Internet Network Information Center, the number of generative AI users in China exceeded 700 million by the end of the first half of 2026, with a penetration rate of more than 50 percent.

The growing push by Chinese technology companies to develop personal AI agents also reflects the increasing maturity of China's AI application ecosystem, Liu said. "China has a vast user market, diverse digital application scenarios and a complete industrial chain, providing unique advantages for the rapid iteration and large-scale deployment of AI technologies," Liu noted.

As user demand shifts from experimenting with new technologies to seeking practical solutions, competition among companies is also moving beyond model parameters and question-answering capabilities toward solving real-world problems and improving user experience, according to Liu.

China's AI industry has also witnessed strong investment momentum. The country recorded 1,255 AI-related investment and financing deals in the first half of 2026, with a combined value of around 250.14 billion yuan ($35 billion), reaching 182 percent of the total value recorded throughout 2025, according to the China Internet Network Information Center.

The continued influx of investment, coupled with growing demand for practical AI applications, is helping Chinese companies accelerate technological innovation and bring new products and services to market, Liu said.

These developments are expected to further promote coordinated growth across large AI models, computing power, smart devices and application ecosystems, accelerate AI commercialization, and strengthen China's competitiveness in global AI application innovation, Liu noted.