Baidu announced a RMB 500 million giveaway. The funds promote its AI assistant applications during the competitive Chinese New Year marketing period.
The move directly responds to rival Tencent’s RMB 1 billion campaign for its ‘Yuanbao’ AI assistant. This action revives the 'red envelope' battles seen in previous holidays.
The renewed marketing push signals an escalation in the fight for user engagement within China's consumer AI sector. Following a quiet 2023, major tech platforms are again leveraging substantial cash giveaways and new features. They seek to attract and retain users for AI services during the peak holiday period.