Chinese-developed educational apps powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI) are making waves in the U.S. as developers look to overseas markets to fuel growth amid growing competition at home.
Leading the way are Question.AI, developed by Beijing-based education technology startup Zuoyebang, and ByteDance's Gauth, both generative AI-powered homework helpers that ranked in the top three free education apps in the U.S. on Apple's iOS store and Google Play from February to May, according to mobile app intelligence service AppMagic.
The company's success in the U.S. market comes amid growing competition in China, where more than 200 large-scale language models (the technology behind generative AI services like ChatGPT) have been developed for AI applications, half of which had been approved for public release by Chinese authorities as of March this year.
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The No.1 free education app in the US is Duolingo, the world's largest language learning platform that has been in operation for over 13 years. Question.AI was launched in the middle of last year, and Gauth was rolled out in 2020 under the name Gauthmath, a math problem-solving tool that has pivoted to cover more subjects in the last year.
Free for basic use but requiring payment for additional features, these apps harness the power of generative AI to help US students learn a range of subjects from science, technology, engineering and mathematics to economics, physics, chemistry and literature.
Users simply take a photo of their math or chemistry homework problem and the app generates a solution with detailed step-by-step guides and explanations.
Chinese AI-powered apps in the US market have largely escaped the intense scrutiny facing TikTok, which will be banned unless its parent company ByteDance sells its US business. Photo: Shutterstock Images alt=Chinese AI-powered apps in the US market have largely escaped the intense scrutiny facing TikTok, which will be banned unless its parent company ByteDance sells its US business. Photo: Shutterstock Images>
According to AppMagic, Gauth is ranked as the second most popular education app worldwide across iOS and Google Play platforms, with Question.AI coming in at seventh place.
More Chinese app developers are now targeting Western markets, including Checkmath, a math problem-solving tool developed by Yuanfudao, and Talkie AI from Shanghai AI startup Minimax, the equivalent of the U.S.'s Character.ai, which allows users to interact with virtual chatbot characters.
Talkie is currently ranked 4th among entertainment apps on Google Play in the US, behind streaming video apps Tubi, Max and Netflix, with Disney+ coming in at number 5.
Chinese AI-powered apps in the U.S. market have largely avoided the intense scrutiny faced by TikTok, which faces a ban unless its parent company ByteDance sells its U.S. operations, but monetization challenges remain.
Neither Gauth nor Question.AI has ranked among the top 10 apps by revenue over the past four months, according to AppMagic data.
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