appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Yi Luo

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.

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.
The Chinese market now has about 200 LLMs – the technology underpinning generative AI services like ChatGPT.
Launched in March 2023, Baidu’s consumer-facing Ernie Bot was the country’s second-most popular AI conversational tool in November, with 13 million monthly active users (MAUs), according to Aicpb.com, a website that ranks local and international AI products.
It trailed ByteDance’s Doubao, which led the Chinese market with 60 million MAUs, even though it was released in August 2023, months after Ernie came out.
Meanwhile, Baidu is pushing for the adoption of its AI technology for industrial use. Disruptive innovations are “often the result of large-scale applications, not the cause”, Li said, while acknowledging that the company is taking a lot of risks by investing in AI.
“If we move to the forefront of technology, it means we have to take greater risks and live with a higher probability of failure,” he wrote. There were times when people at Baidu had no idea whether a project would work out “until the very last day”, the entrepreneur added.
Baidu, which Li started 25 years ago in a hotel room in Beijing, is struggling to attract investor interest as its traditional internet search business loses momentum. Its Nasdaq-listed shares fell 27 per cent in 2024, closing at US$84.31 on the last trading day of the year.


Hong Kong and China won’t genuflect to Silicon Valley’s moral panic over AI

Rare honour: Trump will greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews, not just White House

China’s Wang Yi holds phone call with Rubio days before Xi visits US

China trusted more than US, EU on AI regulation in Pew survey of middle-income countries

Artificial intelligence (AI)

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

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

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

Tech war in 2024: China catches up fast in AI race, but US chip curbs cast shadow

Will US chip curbs derail China’s AI ambitions? Illustration: Davies Christian Surya

An AI robot at a consumer product expo in Haikou, capital of southern Hainan province. Photo: Xinhua

An exhibit at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai. Photo: AFP

NeurIPS, the ‘AI Olympics’, gets new hurdles in Canada with US-China tech competition

The 37-year-old NeurIPS conference has taken on greater significance since the launch of ChatGPT spurred greater investment in generative artificial intelligence. Photo: AFP

Former Huawei ‘Genius Youth’ recruit says new venture can now mass produce humanoid robots

Agibot’s humanoid robot was unveiled at an event in Shanghai on August 18, 2024. Photo: Handout

An artist’s impression of Agibot in action. Photo: Handout

Ex-OpenAI engineer launches robotics start-up, joining race to produce intelligent machines

A Walker X humanoid robot is seen at a sci-tech company in Shenzhen. Photo: Xinhua

Tech

Big Tech

Tech Trends

News

Business

China Business

Companies

China Future Tech

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


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


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

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Baidu’s investments in AI are expected to generate returns this year, the CEO writes in a message to staff

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