(Yicai) Sept. 6 -- IFlytek and 360 Security Technology, also known as Qihoo 360, have become the latest Chinese tech companies to make their artificial intelligence-powered large language models available to the general public.

IFlytek has publicly launched Spark, the Hefei-headquartered company said yesterday, the same day that people were also given full access to Beijing-based 360's Zhinao.

“We’ll build a personal AI assistant for every person to enable them to benefit from the technology and meet society's urgent needs,” said iFlytek Chairman Liu Qingfeng.

Five other Chinese tech companies, including SenseTime Group and Baidu, fully launched their AI chatbots to the public last week, following government approval. Businesses need to submit security assessments and get clearance before they can release AI products to the public.

Baidu's Ernie Bot has attracted more than 6 million users since it went public on Aug. 30, according to Chief Executive Robin Lee.

AI is now a key focus of corporate rivalry, and Chinese tech firms are rushing to invest heavily in AI-powered LLMs. That is likely to trigger an imminent consolidation in the industry, an AI sector analyst told Yicai, adding that only those firms with data and tech capabilities will succeed.

Shares of iFlytek [SHE: 002230] fell 0.9 percent today to close at CNY51.89 (USD7.10) each, while 360 [SHA: 601360] ended flat at CNY11.06 (USD1.51). SenseTime [HKG: 0020] dipped 0.6 percent to HKD1.59 (20 US cents) and Baidu [HKG: 9888] fell 1.6 percent to HKD139.70 (USD 17.81).

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev