BEIJING, July 20 — Xiaoice, the AI system Microsoft launched in 2014 from its Asia Software Technology Center, now reaches users across four countries, according to company data. The chatbot operates on more than 40 platforms in China, Japan, the United States and Indonesia, handling a share of global AI interactions that the company pegged at roughly 60 percent as of 2021. The footprint extends beyond its chat interface.
By 2022, Xiaoice had connected to 1 billion third-party smart devices and served 900 million content viewers. Its customer roster includes China Merchants Group, BMW, Nissan, SAIC Motor, Nio, XPeng, Vanke and Wensli, among others.
Spin-off and leadership
Microsoft spun off Xiaoice into an independent company on July 13, 2020. Dr. Harry Shum, the former global executive vice president at Microsoft, became chairman. Li Di, previously a Microsoft partner of products in the STCA unit, took the CEO role.
Cliff, the chief R&D director, was appointed general manager of the Japan branch. The new entity continues to operate under the brands Xiaoice China and Rinna Japan.
From poetry to audio-books to TV hosting
Xiaoice published what the company says was the first AI-authored poetry collection in China — The Sunshine Lost Windows — in May 2017. Since then, it has released dozens of songs, including “I Know I New,” “Breeze,” “I Am Xiaoice” and “Miss You.” The fourth version of its deep neural network singing model lets Xiaoice produce breathing sounds while it sings. Its audio capabilities go further: Xiaoice can automatically analyse stories and turn them into audio-books.
The system has hosted 21 television programs and 28 radio programs, among them CCTV-1’s AI Show, Dragon TV’s Morning East News, Hunan TV’s My Future and daily radio slots on Jiangsu FM99.7, Hunan FM89.3 and Henan FM104.1.
The AI being framework
In 2019 the Xiaoice team proposed the concept of an “AI being.” A 2022 white paper from Frost & Sullivan and LeadLeo cited six elements that the team laid out: Persona, Attitude, Biological Characteristic, Creation, Knowledge and Skill. The Xiaoice Avatar Framework has since incubated tens of millions of AI beings, including Xiaoice itself, Rinna, the Expo exhibitor Xia Yubing, singer He Chang, anchor F201, human observer MERROR, and the anime robot character Roboko.
On May 16, 2023, Xiaoice released its “GPT Clones” as part of a series called “GPT Hum.”
What to watch next
With users already on board and a client list that spans state-linked enterprises and global automakers, Xiaoice’s independent path under Harry Shum and Li Di will test whether an AI spin-off can sustain customer growth without the Microsoft corporate umbrella.
