TL;DR – What You Need to Know in 30 Seconds

• Tencent has launched its upgraded T1 reasoning model
• Competition heats up in China’s AI market
• Beijing spotlights Manus
• Manus partners with Alibaba’s Qwen AI team

The Tencent T1 Reasoning Model Has Launched

Tencent has officially launched the upgraded version of its T1 reasoning model, intensifying competition within China’s already bustling artificial intelligence sector. Announced on Friday (21 March), the T1 reasoning model promises significant enhancements over its preview edition, including faster responses and improved processing of lengthy texts.

In a WeChat announcement, Tencent highlighted T1’s strengths, noting it “keeps the content logic clear and the text neat,” while maintaining an “extremely low hallucination rate,” referring to the AI’s tendency to generate accurate, reliable outputs without inventing false information.

The Turbo S Advantage

The T1 model is built on Tencent’s own Turbo S foundational language technology, introduced last month. According to Tencent, Turbo S notably outpaces competitor DeepSeek’s R1 model when processing queries, a claim backed up by benchmarks Tencent shared in its announcement. These tests showed T1 leading in several key knowledge and reasoning categories.

Tencent’s latest launch comes amid heightened rivalry sparked largely by DeepSeek, a Chinese startup whose powerful yet affordable AI models recently stunned global tech markets. DeepSeek’s success has spurred local companies like Tencent into accelerating their own AI investments.

Beijing Spotlights Rising AI Star Manus

The race isn’t limited to tech giants. Manus, a homegrown AI startup, also received a major boost from Chinese authorities this week. On Thursday, state broadcaster CCTV featured Manus for the first time, comparing its advanced AI agent technology favourably against more traditional chatbot models.

Manus became a sensation globally after unveiling what it claims to be the world’s first truly general-purpose AI agent, capable of independently making decisions and executing tasks with minimal prompting. This autonomy differentiates it sharply from existing chatbots such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek.

Crucially, Manus has now cleared significant regulatory hurdles. Beijing’s municipal authorities confirmed that a China-specific version of Manus’ AI assistant, Monica, is fully registered and compliant with the country’s strict generative AI guidelines, a necessary step before public release.

Further strengthening its domestic foothold, Manus recently announced a strategic partnership with Alibaba’s Qwen AI team, a collaboration likely to accelerate the rollout of Manus’ agent technology across China. Currently, Manus’ agent is accessible only via invite codes, with an eager waiting list already surpassing two million.

The Race Has Only Just Begun

With Tencent’s T1 now officially in play and Manus gaining momentum, China’s AI competition is clearly heating up, promising exciting innovations ahead. As tech giants and ambitious startups alike push boundaries, China’s AI landscape is becoming increasingly dynamic—leaving tech enthusiasts and investors eagerly watching to see who’ll take the lead next.

What do YOU think?

Could China’s AI startups like Manus soon disrupt Silicon Valley’s dominance, or will giants like Tencent keep the competition at bay?

You may also like:

Tencent Takes on DeepSeek: Meet the Lightning-Fast Hunyuan Turbo S

DeepSeek in Singapore: AI Miracle or Security Minefield?

Alibaba’s AI Ambitions: Fueling Cloud Growth and Expanding in Asia

Learn more by tapping here to visit the Tencent website.

TL;DR – What You Need to Know in 30 Seconds

• Google is integrating Gemini AI into its Chrome browser via an experimental feature called Gemini Live in Chrome (GLIC).
• GLIC adds a clickable Gemini icon next to Chrome’s window controls, opening a floating AI assistant modal.
• Currently being tested in Chrome Canary, the feature aims to streamline AI interactions without leaving the browser.

Welcoming Google’s Gemini AI to Your Chrome Browser

If there’s one thing tech giants love more than AI right now, it’s finding new ways to shove that AI into everything we use. And Google—never one to be left behind—is apparently stepping up their game by sliding their Gemini AI directly into your beloved Chrome browser. Yep, that’s the buzz on the digital street!

This latest AI adventure popped up thanks to eagle-eyed folks at Windows Latest, who spotted intriguing code snippets hidden in Google’s Chrome Canary version. Canary, if you haven’t played with it before, is Google’s playground version of Chrome. It’s the spot where they test all their wild and wonderful experimental features, and it looks like Gemini’s next up on stage.

Say Hello to GLIC: Gemini Live in Chrome

They’re calling this new integration “GLIC,” which stands for “Gemini Live in Chrome.” (Yes, tech companies never resist a snappy acronym, do they?) According to the early glimpses from Canary, GLIC isn’t quite ready for primetime yet—no shock there—but the outlines are pretty clear.

Once activated, GLIC introduces a nifty Gemini icon neatly tucked up beside your usual minimise, maximise, and close window buttons. Click it, and a floating Gemini assistant modal pops open, ready and waiting for your prompts, questions, or random curiosities.

Prefer a less conspicuous spot? Google’s thought of that too—GLIC can also nestle comfortably in your system tray, offering quick access to Gemini without cluttering your browser interface.

Why Gemini in Chrome Actually Makes Sense

Having Gemini hanging out front and centre in Chrome feels like a smart move—especially when you’re knee-deep in tabs and need quick answers or creative inspiration on the fly. No more toggling between browser tabs or separate apps; your AI assistant is literally at your fingertips.

But let’s keep expectations realistic here—this is still Canary we’re talking about. Features here often need plenty of polish and tweaking before making it to the stable Chrome we all rely on. But the potential? Definitely exciting.

What’s Next?

For now, we’ll keep a close eye on GLIC’s developments. Will Gemini revolutionise how we interact with Chrome, or will it end up another quirky experiment? Either way, Google’s bet on AI is clearly ramping up, and we’re here for it. Don’t forget to sign up to our occasional newsletter to stay informed about this and other happenings around AI in Asia and beyond.

Stay tuned—we’ll share updates as soon as Google lifts the curtains a bit further.

You may also like:

• Revolutionising Search: Google’s New AI Features in Chrome
• Google Gemini: How To Maximise Its Potential
• Google Gemini: The Future of AI
• Try Google Carnary by tapping here — be warned, it can be unstable!

TL;DR – What You Need to Know in 30 Seconds

1. Adobe Has Launched a New AI Video Generator: Firefly Video (beta) is now live for anyone who’s signed up for early access, promising safe and licensed content.
2. Commercially Safe Creations: The video model is trained only on licensed and public domain content, reducing the headache of potential copyright issues.
3. Flexible Usage: You can create 5-second, 1080p clips from text prompts or reference images, add extra effects, and blend seamlessly with Adobe’s other tools.
4. Subscription Plans: Ranging from 10 USD to 30 USD per month, you’ll get a certain number of monthly generative credits to play with, along with free cloud storage.

So, What is the Adobe Firefly Video Generator?

If you’ve been keeping an eye on the AI scene, you’ll know it’s bursting with new tools left, right, and centre. But guess who has finally decided to join the party, fashionably late but oh-so-fancy? That’s right — Adobe! The creative software giant has just unveiled its generative AI video tool, Firefly Video Generator. Today, we’re taking a closer look at what it does, why it matters, and whether it’s worth your time.

If you’ve heard whispers about Adobe’s foray into AI, it’s all about Firefly — their suite of AI-driven creative tools. Adobe has now extended Firefly to video, letting you turn text or images into short video clips. At the moment, each clip is around five seconds long in 1080p resolution and spits out an MP4 file.

The unique selling point is that Firefly’s videos are trained on licensed and public domain materials, so you can rest easy about copyright concerns. Whether you’re a content creator, a social media guru, or just love dabbling in AI, this tool might be your new favourite playground.

Getting Started: Text-to-Video in a Flash

Interested? Here’s the easiest way in:

• Sign In: Head over to firefly.adobe.com and log in or sign up for an Adobe account.
• Select “Text to Video”: Once logged in, you’ll see a selection of AI tools under the Featured tab. Pick “Text to Video,” and you’re in!
• Craft a Prompt: Type out a description of what you want to see. For best results, Adobe recommends specifying the shot type, character, action, location, and aesthetic — the more detail, the better — up to 175 words.. For example:

Prompt: A futuristic cityscape at sunset with neon lights reflecting off wet pavement. The camera pans over a sleek, silver skyscraper, then zooms in on a group of drones flying in formation, their lights pulsating in sync with the city’s rhythm. The scene transitions to a close-up of a holographic advertisement displaying vibrant, swirling patterns. The video ends with a wide shot of the city, capturing the dynamic interplay of light and technology.

• Generate: Hit that generate button, and watch Firefly do its magic. Stick around on the tab while it’s generating, or else your progress disappears (a bit of a quirk if you ask me).

The end result is a 5-second video clip in MP4 format, complete with 1920 × 1080 resolution. You can’t exactly produce a Hollywood blockbuster here, but for quick, creative clips, it’s pretty handy.

Here’s another one:

A cheerful, pastel-colored cartoon rabbit wearing a pair of oversized sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt. The rabbit is standing on a sunny beach, surrounded by palm trees and colorful beach balls. As it dances to upbeat music, it starts to juggle three beach balls while spinning around. The camera zooms out to show the rabbit’s shadow growing larger, transforming into a giant beach ball that bounces across the sand. The video ends with the rabbit laughing and winking at the camera.

Image-to-Video: Turn That Pic into Motion

To use this feature, you must have the rights to any third-party images you upload. All images uploaded or content generated must meet our User Guidelines. Access will be revoked for any violation.

If you prefer a visual reference to a text prompt, Firefly also has your back. You can upload an image — presumably one you own the rights to — and let the AI interpret that into video form. As Adobe warns:

Once uploaded, you can tweak the ratio, camera angle, motion, and more to shape your final clip. This is a brilliant feature if you’re working on something that requires a specific style or visual element and you’d like to keep that vibe across different shots.

A Dash of Sparkle: Adding Effects

A neat trick up Adobe’s sleeve is the ability to layer special effects like fire, smoke, dust particles, or water over your footage. The model can generate these elements against a black or green screen, so you can easily apply them as overlays in Premiere Pro or After Effects.

In practical terms, you could generate smoky overlays to give your scene a dramatic flair or sprinkling dust particles for a cinematic vibe. Adobe claims these overlays blend nicely with real-world footage, so that’s a plus for those who want to incorporate subtle special effects into their videos without shelling out for expensive stock footage.

How Much Does Adobe Firefly Cost?

There are two main plans if you decide to adopt Firefly into your daily workflow:

1. Adobe Firefly Standard (10 USD/month)
   • You get 2,000 monthly generative credits for video and audio, which means you can generate up to 20 five-second videos and translate up to 6 minutes of audio and video.
   • Useful for quick clip creation, background experimentation, and playing with different styles in features like Text to Image and Generative Fill.
2. Adobe Firefly Pro (30 USD/month)
   • This plan offers 7,000 monthly generative credits for video and audio, allowing you to generate up to 70 five-second videos and translate up to 23 minutes of audio and video.
   • Great for those looking to storyboard entire projects, produce b-roll, and match audio cues for more complex productions.

Both plans also include 100 GB of cloud storage, so you don’t have to worry too much about hoarding space on your own system. They come in monthly or annual prepaid options, and you can cancel anytime without fees — quite flexible, which is nice.

First Impressions: Late to the Party?

Overall, Firefly’s biggest plus is its library of training data. Because it only uses Adobe-licensed or public domain content, creators can produce videos without fear of accidental infringement. This is a big deal, considering how many generative AI tools out there scrape the web, causing all sorts of copyright drama.

Adobe’s integration with its existing ecosystem is another big draw. If you’re already knee-deep in Premiere Pro and After Effects, having a built-in system for AI-generated overlays, quick b-roll clips, and atmospheric effects might streamline your workflow.

But let’s be honest: the AI video space is already pretty jam-packed. Competitors like Runway, Kling, and Sora from OpenAI have been around for a while, offering equally interesting features. So the question is, does Firefly do anything better or more reliably than the rest? You’ll have to try it out for yourself (and please let us know your thoughts in the comments below).

This sentiment might ring true until Adobe packs in some advanced features or speeds up its render times. However, you can’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Adobe does offer free video generation credits, so have a go. Generate your own videos, add flaming overlays, and see if the results vibe with your style.

Will Adobe’s trusted brand name and integrated workflow features push Firefly Video Generator to the top of the AI video world? Or is this too little, too late?

Ultimately, you’re the judge. The AI video revolution is in full swing, and each platform has its own perks and quirks.

Wrapping Up & Parting Thoughts

Adobe’s Firefly Video Generator is an exciting new player that’s sure to turn heads. If you’re already an Adobe devotee, it makes sense to give it a whirl and see how seamlessly it slides into your existing workflow. You’ll enjoy its straightforward interface, the security of licensed content, and some neat editing options.

But with so many alternatives on the market, is Firefly truly innovative, or just the next step in AI’s unstoppable march through our creative spaces?

Could Adobe’s pedigree and safe licensing edge truly redefine AI video for commercial use, or is the industry already oversaturated with better and bolder solutions?

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• Revolutionising the Creative Scene: Adobe’s AI Video Tools Challenge Tech Giants
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• Try out the Adobe Firefly Video Generator for free by tapping here