Tencent's tang daosheng defends AI strategy amid internal and external criticism

Tang Daosheng, Senior Executive Vice President and CEO of the Cloud and Smart Industry Business Group at Tencent, addressed internal and external concerns about the company's progress in AI during an article published in the internal publication 'Zhidian' annual edition. The piece, co-created with AI, emphasized that AI has evolved from a tool into a collaborative partner for thinking. Tang acknowledged that competitors have been making significant noise in the ToB market, and that insufficient computing power has hindered the iteration and deployment of the Huan Yuan large model, causing internal anxiety. He argued that the AI competition is a marathon, not a sprint, and that longevity is more important than being early. Tang highlighted the importance of long-term investment and understanding real-world needs, stressing that algorithms, engineering capabilities, and scenarios are key to success. His comments align with those of Tencent's founder, Ma Huateng, who previously admitted that Tencent's early AI capabilities were not strong and that recent improvements in talent and management have helped the company get back on track. Ma humorously described his experience as being on a leaking boat, emphasizing the need to steadily advance using Tencent's strengths rather than engaging in blind competition. Tang also noted that at the June Tencent Cloud AI Industrial Application Conference, he had openly accepted criticism that Tencent was slow, explaining that different business lines within the complex organization move at varying speeds and that there have been failures and explorations. The executives' statements indicate that Tencent is redefining 'slow' as patience, focusing on long-term bets rather than rushing ahead, under the constraints of computing power and scenarios.