Global software giant Microsoft Corp claimed its artificial intelligence chatting robot, Xiaobing, has been blocked by WeChat without prior notice, a move described by the American company as a "brutal murder".

The shutdown of Xiaobing accounts came just six days after Microsoft announced that it had reached an exclusive partnership agreement with WeChat for the Siri-like service that allowed WeChat users access to a social assistant.

Like Us on Facebook

Microsoft's Asia-Pacific Research and Development Group said in an email to China Daily that the suspension of Xiaobing on WeChat occurred while the two companies were in talks.

WeChat's owner Tencent Holdings Ltd, however, denied agreeing to any exclusive deal with Microsoft and stressed that it has nothing to do with the artificial intelligence chatting robot created by Microsoft.

Tencent said Xiaobing accounts on WeChat were shut down because the service violated several user policies, including the creating of a large number of spam accounts. But Microsoft said Xiaobing is just an entertainment tool and denied allegations of violations.

Microsoft said Xiaobing has around 15 million snippets of real-life online chats in Chinese based on blogs and forums in order to provide almost accurate and life-like responses to chats or queries by users.

Xiaobing project developer Eric Jing said Microsoft's supposed deal with WeChat would have given it access to the vast mobile searching market in China

Experts said the suspension of Xiaobing, a US-made program, could have something to do with the battle over data security concerns involving China and the United States. But Microsoft clarified that customer information temporary stored on servers is safe and can not be accessed by outsiders.

Microsoft said it can not contest the decision of Tencent, which owns the biggest social-based instant messaging platform in China. As of last year, WeChat's users reached 600 million.

With the latest issue involving Tencent, Microsoft said it will have to talk to other social network platforms to revive Xiaobing in China, after its untimely death.

TagsMicrosoft Xiaobing, Xiaobing, WeChat Xiaobing