Meituan co-founder Wang Huiwen returns to lead AI push after hiatus, report says

After selling his AI start-up Light Year to Meituan last year, Wang has reportedly returned to lead the company’s AI efforts

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Meituan co-founder Wang Huiwen. Photo: Handout

Published: 8:00pm, 7 Nov 2024Updated: 10:33pm, 7 Nov 2024

A co-founder of China’s food delivery giant Meituan has returned to the company to lead its efforts in artificial intelligence (AI), as Big Tech firms rush to adopt the fast-developing technology in their operations, according to local media.

Wang Huiwen, who stepped down last year as non-executive director and member of the nomination committee, will be partially in charge of Meituan’s generative AI endeavour, tech news site 36Kr reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous sources.

Wang, 46, will head the so-called GN06 team to explore new AI-related opportunities. The team is independent from other Meituan business units, including the existing in-house team responsible for AI models, according to the report. One of GN06’s flagship products is an AI companion called Wow.

Meituan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Shares of the company gained 5.6 per cent on Thursday, closing at HK$199.9 (US$25.7).

A Meituan food-delivery courier in Beijing. Photo: Simon Song

Wang has previously shown interest in AI. In February last year, several months after OpenAI debuted its groundbreaking ChatGPT bot that triggered a global AI arms race, Wang founded AI start-up Light Year, pledging a US$50 million investment from his own pocket.