China's Quora-like Zhihu unveils AI-powered search-and-answer feature to engage more users

Zhihu, mainland China's Quora-like question-and-answer service, on Saturday launched a new generative artificial intelligence (AI) feature that responds to users' inquiries on the platform, showing how the technology has quickly become a component of online consumer tools in the country.

The feature called Zhida, which means "direct response" in Mandarin, taps into the platform's vast content archive to automatically search, summarise and generate answers to users' questions, according to Zhihu founder, chairman and chief executive Zhou Yuan, who unveiled the platform's generative AI offering on Saturday at an event in Beijing.

With that launch, Zhihu has joined the ranks of Chinese technology companies that have enhanced their online services via the power of generative AI - algorithms that can be used to create new content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations and videos.

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Shenzhen-based Tencent Holdings, an early backer of Zhihu, last year baked its Hunyuan large language model (LLM) - the technology underpinning generative AI services like ChatGPT - into more than 180 services, including conferencing app Tencent Meeting and web-based word processor Tencent Docs, along with its online advertising business and super app WeChat.

Zhou Yuan, the founder, chairman and chief executive of popular online content community Zhihu. Photo: SCMP alt=Zhou Yuan, the founder, chairman and chief executive of popular online content community Zhihu. Photo: SCMP>

Alibaba Group Holding, which owns the South China Morning Post, last year also integrated its own Tongyi Qianwen LLM to DingTalk, the e-commerce giant's enterprise collaboration app, to make workplace communications more efficient. Alibaba in May revealed that its Tongyi Qianwen family of LLMs is already used by more than 90,000 corporate clients in China.

Zhihu chief financial officer Wang Han said during the Hong Kong-listed company's first-quarter earnings call with analysts that AI has been used to streamline the firm's operations, from reviewing the platform's data and helping users create quality content to driving higher website traffic.

"In 2024, our investment in AI will focus on the application layer," Wang said in the earnings call. "Our advances in AI have enabled us to enhance operating efficiency across our existing businesses."

He pointed out that the platform's AI-powered search function, which was introduced in March, already contributed to double-digit growth for its apps in terms of metrics such as user retention and engagement.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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