Tencent hires Baidu big data expert as it aims to lead in AI
Tencent has appointed Zhang Tong, the former head of Baidu's big data lab, to head its own artificial intelligence (AI) lab, according to a statement by the company. The move comes as Tencent aims to compete with rivals Baidu and Alibaba in the AI market. Zhang is to lead a team of over 200 engineers to implement innovative technologies in Tencent's existing range of content, gaming and social media products. He will also be the head of a team of 50 AI scientists working in research and development.

China’s leading technology companies are investing heavily into research and development for artificial intelligence. A bank robot at the 2016 World Robot Conference in Beijing. Photo: Simon Song