Tech Giants from Tencent to ByteDance Vie for AI Agent Supremacy After Manus Relocates

Chinese Big Tech firms, including Tencent Holdings and ByteDance, are ramping up their focus on artificial intelligence (AI) agents in a fiercely competitive market. This surge follows the relocation of rival Manus AI overseas amid ongoing geopolitical tensions. At the recent World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) held in Shanghai, Tencent’s cloud computing unit unveiled a dozen AI agents. These agents are software programs designed to autonomously complete tasks for both business users and consumers, as announced on Tencent’s WeChat platform. Tencent demonstrated its online marketing AI agent, which can automate entire workflows—from profiling target consumers and selecting appropriate products to creating marketing materials and evaluating campaign performance. This showcases the practical applications of AI agents in streamlining business processes. AI agents specializing in coding have become a new battleground. Tencent recently launched CodeBuddy IDE, an AI-powered coding assistant app comparable to ByteDance’s Trae and Baidu’s Comate. These tools aim to simplify and accelerate software development by providing intelligent coding support. Beyond assistive coding, Tencent has enhanced its agent development platforms to empower third-party developers to create customized and specialized AI agents. This initiative is intended to accelerate AI adoption across industries, a strategy Tencent Cloud vice-president Wu Yunsheng described as vital for unlocking the full value of AI models. The competition among Chinese tech giants reflects the broader global race to lead in AI technologies, especially as geopolitical factors reshape the market landscape. With Manus AI's departure, Tencent and ByteDance are positioning themselves to dominate the AI agent space in China and beyond.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

AI Agents and Their Applications

Q: What is an AI agent? A: An AI agent is a software program designed to autonomously perform tasks for users, whether they are businesses or consumers. Q: What kind of tasks can AI agents perform? A: AI agents can perform a wide range of tasks, including automating marketing workflows (profiling consumers, creating materials, evaluating campaigns) and assisting with software development (coding assistance). Q: What are some examples of AI agents mentioned in the article? A: Examples include Tencent's online marketing AI agent and coding assistants like Tencent's CodeBuddy IDE, ByteDance's Trae, and Baidu's Comate.

The Competitive Landscape

Q: Which Chinese tech giants are competing in the AI agent market? A: Tencent Holdings and ByteDance are highlighted as major competitors. Q: Why is there increased competition in the AI agent market? A: The competition is intensifying partly due to the overseas relocation of a rival, Manus AI, amid geopolitical tensions, creating an opportunity for other major players. Q: What is Tencent's strategy for accelerating AI adoption? A: Tencent is enhancing its agent development platforms to allow third-party developers to create specialized AI agents, aiming to speed up AI adoption across industries.

Crypto Market AI's Take

The intense competition among tech giants like Tencent and ByteDance in developing advanced AI agents underscores a significant trend: the integration of artificial intelligence into specialized, autonomous systems. This push mirrors the broader evolution of AI in the financial sector, where AI-driven tools are increasingly used for market analysis, automated trading, and risk management. Our platform, Crypto Market AI, leverages similar AI capabilities to provide users with sophisticated tools for navigating the complexities of the cryptocurrency market. We focus on developing AI agents that can offer real-time insights, optimize trading strategies, and enhance personal finance management through intelligent automation.

More to Read:

• AI Agents: Capabilities, Risks, and Their Growing Role
• AI-Driven Crypto Trading Tools Reshape Market Strategies in 2025
• Understanding AI and Data Analytics for Strategic Crypto Portfolios

Originally published at South China Morning Post on 29 July 2025.