Tencent to launch an AI search engine for everyday users

According to Huxiu, Tencent is about to launch an AI search engine for everyday users. It has a clean, minimal design, is fully powered by AI, prioritizes trusted sources, and blends AI answers with regular web search in one experience. Tencent has not yet responded.

Two weeks ago, Tencent released Yuanbao Search for business clients. It shares the same underlying tech as the search inside the Yuanbao App and the Yuanbao Search API on Tencent Cloud. It offers three access options: Skill, MCP, and API.

Analysts note Baidu has topped China's search market for over twenty years, and Tencent's past attempts, like SOSO and buying Sogou, failed to break through on the consumer side. As AI agents take off, search is becoming a base layer for AI apps, so Tencent now sells Yuanbao Search as a cloud service.

The Yuanbao Search team was formed in mid-2024, combining core tech from QQ Browser and Sogou Search, rebuilding over a decade of search know-how into an AI-era search infrastructure.