Tencent will roll out a new AI-driven social feature for its Yuanbao app, as the company looks to deepen the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into multiplayer social experiences, Tencent Chairman and CEO Pony Ma said at the company’s 2026 employee conference.
Ma revealed that Yuanbao will soon introduce an AI social function dubbed “Yuanbao Party,” designed to explore how AI technology can be embedded into group-based social interactions and create a new type of AI-powered social experience. He added that Tencent is also testing additional communication features tailored to the company’s strengths in social networking and messaging.
“Let me give a small preview—since I’m personally part of the internal testing,” Ma said. “Yuanbao will introduce a new social feature that aligns with our unique characteristics. In the future, Yuanbao Party may also incorporate more communication functions. We want to start by leveraging our advantages in social communication and our existing relationship networks to foster a positive environment.”
Earlier, Tencent launched a 1 billion yuan cash red-envelope incentive campaign for Yuanbao during the Chinese New Year period. Ma said the initiative was intended to recreate the momentum of WeChat’s red-envelope feature, which went viral 11 years ago and became a defining moment for the platform.
Addressing broader concerns about rapid advances in artificial intelligence, Ma said Tencent would continue to pursue a measured and pragmatic approach. “Every company has a different DNA. Tencent’s style is to move forward steadily, step by step,” he said.
Ma also noted that since the arrival of Yao Shunyu, Tencent’s chief AI scientist, the company has accelerated talent recruitment, restructured its R&D teams, and strengthened internal co-design efforts to improve collaboration between the Hunyuan large language model and the Yuanbao product.
Tencent’s Hunyuan AI division underwent significant changes last year in areas such as talent acquisition and organizational structure, Ma said, helping the company attract more native AI talent as it ramps up development across its AI ecosystem.
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