Chinese AI unicorn MiniMax scores big in US with Talkie chatbot entertainment app

Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) unicorn MiniMax has become the mainland’s latest social-media star overseas, on the back of its popular Talkie chatbot entertainment app.

Data from market research firm Sensor Tower showed that Talkie – part of the fast-growing “companion AI” market segment – was the fourth most-downloaded AI app in the United States in the first half of 2024, ahead of Google-backed rival Character.ai which ranked 10th.

Globally, Talkie recorded 17 million downloads in the first eight months of the year, trailing Character.ai with nearly 19 million downloads in the same period, according to a Sensor Tower report last month. Using generative AI (GenAI) technology, both apps enable users to create and have conversations with virtual characters based on fiction or real people.

Shanghai-based MiniMax is expected to take in around US$70 million in sales this year, according to a recent report by The Financial Times citing anonymous sources. The bulk of that revenue is expected to come from the start-up’s avatar chatbot platform, which targets the US and other overseas markets.