I gave Tencent’s WeChat AI agent control for 24 hours: where it excelled – and stumbled

Tencent Holdings’ WeChat is already the undisputed super-app for over a billion people in China, handling everything from splitting dinner bills to hailing taxis. Now, Tencent is embedding an artificial intelligence agent named Xiaowei into the platform, adding a hands-free, automated assistant to its vast digital ecosystem.

In its latest earnings results announced on Wednesday, Tencent highlighted Xiaowei for the first time, touting its focus on user privacy and inference efficiency.

After gaining early access to the trial feature, which appears as two green dots at the top of the main screen, I spent nearly 24 hours letting Xiaowei run my digital routine. The goal: see how much of my daily life an AI agent could actually take over.

The verdict? It’s a fascinating, promising glimpse into the future of apps – and an occasional exercise in frustration.

Beyond chatting: an agent that works

Unlike standard chatbots that simply answer questions, an AI agent is designed to take action. Where a chatbot recommends a hotpot restaurant, Xiaowei is meant to make a reservation and place your order, too.