Baidu founder Robin Li predicts ‘exponential’ boom in AI apps in 2025

Baidu’s investments in AI are expected to generate returns this year, the CEO writes in a message to staff

Reading Time:2 minutes

Baidu founder and CEO Robin Li Yanhong. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 9:00pm, 2 Jan 2025Updated: 9:37am, 3 Jan 2025

The founder of Baidu, an artificial-intelligence (AI) pioneer in China that unveiled its own large language model (LLM) just months after OpenAI released ChatGPT, said AI applications would grow “exponentially” in 2025.

Baidu’s investments in AI are expected to generate returns this year, according to Robin Li Yanhong, CEO of China’s largest search-engine operator, in a message to all staff marking the company’s 25th anniversary, which fell on New Year’s Day.

“Generative AI, powered by foundational models, is being rapidly deployed across various industries and scenarios,” he wrote in a 1,200-word memo. “While there’s been no ‘super app’ so far, the penetration ratio of AI is not low and we’ll keep seeing exponential growth in 2025.”

“The seeds we planted in 2023 and 2024 will hopefully take root, blossom and bear fruit in 2025 with the market’s increasing recognition and acknowledgement,” read the letter, which mentioned “AI” 11 times.

Baidu’s headquarters in Beijing’s Haidian district. Photo: Shutterstock

While Baidu is an early player in China’s AI market, it faces fierce competition from other big tech companies and start-ups promoting their own LLMs. Li previously warned that China had too many LLMs and he called for tech leaders to focus on building applications powered by AI.