ByteDance's CapCut and Doubao apps have led global downloads of artificial intelligence (AI) applications, according to research firm Unique Capital. This is a sign that the TikTok owner's efforts to promote generative AI (GenAI) are beginning to yield results.

According to Unique Capital's data, CapCut recorded 38.42 million downloads in July, while the Doubao chatbot reached 27.45 million downloads, surpassing ChatGPT with 19.81 million downloads.

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CapCut is used by many TikTok and Instagram users. Photo: Shutterstock

CapCut – a video editing software with GenAI features that has gained popularity among TikTok, Douyin, and Instagram users – had 323 million monthly active users (MAU) last month. Doubao, launched in August 2023, recorded 30.42 million MAU, compared to ChatGPT's 172 million MAU during the same period.

GenAI refers to algorithms used to generate new content, including audio, images, text, simulations, videos, and code.

The rise of CapCut and Doubao among the world's most popular GenAI applications reflects ByteDance's persistence in mobilizing resources to quickly catch up with technological advancements in this field.

A few months ago, ByteDance CEO Liang Rubo reprimanded employees for their slow response to ChatGPT, the AI ​​application that caused a sensation after its public introduction on November 30, 2022.

According to SCMP sources, in the first quarter of the year, Liang set three goals for GenAI for his company: strengthening AI talent recruitment, upgrading the corporate structure, and improving basic research.

In early August, ByteDance entered China's nascent text-to-video market with its Jimeng app. The desktop version was released in May, while Android and iPhone versions followed later.

In May, TikTok's parent company announced a series of large language models (LLMs) – the technology behind ChatGPT and other GenAI services – at significantly lower prices than competitors. This move sparked a price war among AI models in mainland China. The Doubao LLM "family" includes at least eight versions.

According to a report by Unique Capital, the most popular GenAI application categories are AI assistants, photo and video editing tools, and AI search.

(According to SCMP)