Chinese tech giants lure chatbot users with cash, iPhones and TVs as AI rivalry heats up

In a vivid illustration of how fiercely China's artificial-intelligence battle has intensified, the country's three biggest internet powerhouses have turned to direct cash giveaways and high-value gadgets to win over users of their conversational agents. Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu each rolled out campaigns that promise real money, the latest smartphones and large-screen televisions to anyone who signs up, engages regularly or reaches certain usage milestones. The approach reflects a shift from purely technical competition to a consumer-driven contest for loyalty, where the allure of tangible rewards is used to build habit and data pipelines at a breakneck pace. Industry observers note that the strategy not only fuels rapid adoption but also raises questions about the sustainability of such subsidies and the longer-term impact on user expectations. As the race to dominate the next generation of digital assistants accelerates, the line between novelty and necessity blurs, and Chinese users find themselves at the centre of a high-stakes experiment in monetising attention through AI.