Tang Yu was appointed the CEO of NetDragon Websoft in August 2022, long before AI chatbot ChatGPT became a sensation. NetDragon Websoft is a Chinese company that develops and operates massively multiplayer online games in addition to making mobile applications.
The company debuted its first product in 2002. Some self-developed games it operates in China are based on Western IP, such as properties of Disney, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft. Other games based on its own IP are distributed in CIS nations, the Middle East, North Africa, Portugal, Russia, and Vietnam, among others.
Some games are also available in English. Prior to selling this side of the business to Baidu, the company created a mobile phone app store stocked with self-created games and applications. NetDragon had differentiated itself by eschewing selling apps through the distribution channels of others instead creating its own; in other words it makes consumers download an app to download an app but allowing them exposure to other Netdragon offerings in the process.
NetDragon said that the AI chatbot was appointed to pioneer the use of AI to transform corporate management and massively improve operational efficiency to a new level.
Tang Yu will streamline process flow, enhance the quality of work tasks, and improve speed of execution. Tang Yu will also serve as a real-time data hub and analytical tool to support rational decision-making in daily operations, as well as to enable a more effective risk management system,” NetDragon Websoft said in a blog post.
Interestingly, the AI bot helped the company in generating revenue. As per reports, the company outperformed the Hang Seng Index, which tracks the biggest companies listed in Hong Kong.
“Tang Yu’s appointment highlights the Company’s “AI + management” strategy and represents a major milestone of the Company towards being a “Metaverse organization”.
The Hustle, a publication which tracks performance of companies in the stock market, said the company’s shares have increased by 10 per cent compared to their value six months ago. This increase in value can be attributed to various factors, such as improved financial performance, increased demand for the company’s products or services, or positive news about the company. The company’s current market capitalization is approximately HK$9 billion or $1.1 billion.
Alibaba CEO Jack Ma predicted that in the future “a robot will likely be on the cover of Time magazine as the best CEO”. NetDragon claims to be the first organization in the world to put an AI-powered bot in charge of its operations.
Referring to the AI, Dejian Liu, Chairman of NetDragon said that the company believes that Artificial Intelligence is the future of corporate management and they are committed to embracing the use of AI to their business operations. Ms. Tang Yu was appointed to represent their commitment to this goal. The person goes on to say that they plan to continue expanding their algorithms behind Tang Yu to build an open, interactive, and transparent management model. They also mention their plans to transform to a metaverse-based working community, which will enable them to attract a broader base of talents worldwide and achieve their bigger goals.
“We believe AI is the future of corporate management, and our appointment of Ms Tang Yu represents our commitment to truly embrace the use of AI to transform the way we operate our business and ultimately drive our future strategic growth,” company founder Dejian Liu said at the time of the bot’s hiring.
Reports from China of the bot’s success come amid a surge in interest in generative AI technology, with several leading artificial intelligence firms launching new AI tools.
On Tuesday, OpenAI unveiled the successor to its hugely popular ChatGPT software, named GPT-4, describing it as a “much more nuanced” version of its predecessor.
GPT-4 has already proved itself capable of passing a wide range of exams, including the Bar, the LSATS, and the SAT’s Reading and Maths tests.
Despite its abilities, OpenAI warned users to not use the tech for anything critical, as it has a tendency to “hallucinate” facts and is not fully reliable.
“Great care should be taken when using language model outputs,” the company said, “particularly in high-stakes contexts, with the exact protocol (such as human review, grounding with additional context, or avoiding high-stakes uses altogether) matching the needs of a specific use-case.”
