Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 483 Chen Xiu and Li Yanhong's AI Debate
Inside Su Xiao's office, Zhang Yiming, who stayed behind as a third wheel, was still talking to Chen Xiu about AI.

"Xiu, what is the research and development direction of the Open AI company you invested in?"

"We have a large-scale chatbot model and a large-scale video generation model. Now we are focusing on Azure supercomputing."

Chen Xiu stared at her phone and answered casually.

He seemed to be responding to some important message, his expression quite serious.

Su Xiao sat behind her desk working, occasionally glancing at Chen Xiu.

Zhang Yiming hesitated for a moment: "Aren't they going to develop self-driving cars?"

"This direction should be more suitable for car manufacturers, right?"

"Baidu is not a car company."

"Speaking of this."

After sending a message, Chen Xiu put down her phone and looked up at Zhang Yiming.

"Li Yanhong is hosting a private AI discussion at the Bulgari Hotel tonight. Did you receive an invitation?"

"Yes, he's probably preparing for the Baidu AI Developer Conference in July. Did you receive an invitation too?"

Chen Xiu nodded slightly and pointed to her phone.

“I wasn’t really keen on going, but Pony just contacted me and said he also received an invitation, so we can check things out on Line.”

"Oh, should I still go?"

Zhang Yiming pursed his lips awkwardly. He and Pony Ma often clashed in business, and their relationship wasn't exactly good.

Chen Xiu laughed and said, "I'll go with you, I'm definitely going anyway."

"Since you've already gone, Pony Ma will have to give you some face, so things don't get too awkward..."

Zhang Yiming rambled on for a while, as if he were making excuses for himself.

After saying that, he checked the time again and claimed that he had some things to do at the company and would come over to meet Chen Xiu that evening.

With the human-shaped light bulb gone, Su Xiao also got up from her seat and came to the sofa after finishing a batch of documents.

Chen Xiu turned to look at her, moved a little to the side, and Su Xiao sat down as well.

Both of them were looking at each other sideways. Su Xiao's body curves were squeezed more and more obviously by the sofa, and her slender phoenix eyes began to gradually become dreamy and hazy again.

What time is the party tonight?

That voice, both elegant and languid, sent a shiver down Chen Xiu's spine.

He leaned closer, smelled the perfume Su Xiao usually wore, and reached back to hug her waist.

"It's still early."

Chen Xiu received a glare, then her square glasses were removed, the office door was locked, the curtains automatically closed, and the sofa began to transform itself.

……

"After two years of hard work, Baidu's autonomous driving technology is now capable of autonomous driving and parking in complex road conditions. We believe that in the future..."

Chen Xiu leaned back in her chair, cutting up her steak and stuffing it into her mouth while glancing up at Li Yanhong's impromptu performance on stage.

Tonight's banquet is more like a private gathering.

Most of the invited guests were internet professionals, private equity (PE) professionals, and big names in the same circle, such as Chen Xiu and Zhang Yiming.

People sat in small groups of two or three at small round tables, not disturbing each other. They asked the waiters to bring them what they wanted to eat, and they could go up to the stage to express their ideas.

The atmosphere is a bit like a stand-up comedy show, and it would be even more so if everyone was drinking beer.

Do you think autonomous driving technology can be implemented?

Chen Xiu turned to look at Zhang Yiming, puzzled as to why he would ask such a question.

Zhang Yiming shrugged: "As you know, the more mature the autonomous driving technology becomes, the more likely drivers are to be replaced. How many registered drivers does Didi currently have?"

"Hmm, at this stage, I think assisted driving might be more significant, since the technology is not yet mature enough."

Chen Xiu's answer was somewhat vague, but Zhang Yiming understood what he meant.

"So Baidu's technology can be implemented?"

"I don't really understand why they would focus their AI research on autonomous driving. They started out doing search, so their AI extension should be chatbots."

After finishing the last of her steak, Chen Xiu wiped her mouth and gestured for the waiter to come and clean up.

After the waiters finished cleaning up and left, Zhang Yiming approached Chen Xiu with a gloomy expression.

"In the past two years, you seem to have been emphasizing AI. Do you believe that this is the major trend for future development?"

"New energy sources are also quite good."

“Aside from investing a little in NIO, you haven’t done anything else.”

"I also invested in Tesla."

Chen Xiu and Zhang Yiming were talking quietly, but their eyes were always on Li Yanhong in the stands.

When he finally finished speaking, the audience gave him polite applause and then began their own social activities.

Waiters dressed in white shirts, black vests, and bow ties carry trays and weave through the crowd to handle guests' calls at any time.

Chen Xiu was with Zhang Yiming and was about to go over to Pony Ma to discuss serious matters when Pony Ma arrived with Li Yanhong.

Seeing them arrive together, Chen Xiu took the initiative to greet them, "Hello! President Li, President Ma, good evening."

Good evening! *2
The two people opposite responded politely, then Pony stepped aside and turned to look at Li Yanhong. Seeing this, Chen Xiu raised an eyebrow, already understanding that the two of them being together was no coincidence.

Li Yanhong has a decent appearance and a relaxed, scholarly air about him, rather than the rigorous and meticulous air of a science and engineering student.

In terms of looks alone, he certainly ranks among the top in the internet industry.

Of course, there is still a gap compared to Chen Xiuxiang, after all, there is a difference between professional and non-professional in terms of appearance.

While Chen Xiu was sizing up Li Yanhong, Li Yanhong was also sizing up Chen Xiu.

By observing Chen Xiu's appearance and combining it with what he had heard about her deeds, Li Yanhong quickly pieced together most of his impression of her.

Hello! It's a pleasure to have you join us for the party tonight.

"The gathering was very interesting, thank you for the invitation, Mr. Li."

Chen Xiu and Li Yanhong shook hands, which marked their formal introduction. Based on their first impressions, they both spoke highly of each other.

After the handshake, Li Yanhong went to greet Zhang Yiming.

They already knew each other, so there was no need to be overly polite.

After completing the necessary social procedures, Li Yanhong looked at Chen Xiu and smiled, "Pony has mentioned you to me several times, saying that he admires your insights on some matters..."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration."

Pony Ma spoke up to clarify, his brows furrowed slightly, and his expression seemed somewhat unnatural.

Li Yanhong continued, "He's actually not very good at dealing with people, you should be able to sense that, right?"

"Mr. Ma is just a bit reserved and keeps his social interactions to himself, right?"

"Right, that is it."

Chen Xiu's question instantly won Pony Ma's high approval, and also made Li Yanhong's gaze towards him change a bit.

Zhang Yiming, another introverted person who was acting as an observer, also agreed in his heart: Yes! I also kept my social behavior to myself.

Chen Xiu looked at Li Yanhong with a smile in her eyes and said, "President Li, you didn't come all this way just to say hello, did you?"

"I do want to discuss some topics with you."

Li Yanhong straightened his expression, glanced to the side, and gestured to Chen Xiu with his eyes to indicate whether they could have a private conversation.

Chen Xiu's expression remained unchanged, but her neck moved slightly, as if to say, "Don't bother with all that, we can just talk here."

Li Yanhong was taken aback, looking somewhat surprised. After processing it, he nodded slightly and began to ponder and prepare.

Pony Ma and Zhang Yiming witnessed this scene. They were not surprised at all by Chen Xiu's response. Then, when their eyes met, the two of them tacitly pursed their lips.

"OK."

Having finished preparing, Li Yanhong broke the silence, looking at Chen Xiu with a serious expression: "President Chen, which direction do you personally favor in the development of AI?"

"That's a difficult question to answer."

"Huh? We're just sharing our personal thoughts."

"AI is still in its infancy. Right now, we need to build a large model first, then feed it data, train it with algorithms, and iterate continuously. Only after we have achieved certain results can I draw a conclusion about which direction we are more optimistic about."

Chen Xiu's answer made Pony Ma and Zhang Yiming both thoughtful.

Li Yanhong frowned slightly: "Without specific applications, how can you monetize and create value from just a large model foundation?"

"You mean how to make money?"

Chen Xiu skipped the roundabout way of speaking and went straight to the unspoken message of Li Yanhong's words.

Li Yanhong's expression changed slightly: "The funds invested in the research and development of a product come from each investor. As the company's managers, we need to be responsible for their trust."

"I didn't say it wouldn't make money..."

Chen Xiu raised her hand to retort, and for some reason felt that Li Yanhong seemed a little anxious.

"I believe that once a product is launched into the market and more people use and approve of it, the users will have to bear the costs, whether it's the operating costs or the costs of continued research and development."

"If users are unwilling to take on the costs, then the product will definitely be eliminated by the market. So making money is not a question, but a necessity."

"You can't be thinking about making money from the very beginning, right? The Open AI I invested in never considered the issue of profit in their initial idea. They were a group of people with money and time who were developing the technology out of ideals. Now, they have to make concessions because of Microsoft's involvement, but the general direction remains the same."

Li Yanhong frowned even more, instantly seizing on the loophole in Chen Xiu's words.

"You're misrepresenting the concept. I didn't say we'd start charging immediately. I was just emphasizing that AI needs applications to be truly implemented."

"However, applications only emerge after the model is created."

"What's the problem with that?"

"Why should we wait for others to take the first step in technological innovation before we can apply and monetize it? At present, the starting line for AI development is the same, and our algorithms are even more advanced. Why don't we try to be at the forefront and promote the development of the AI ​​ecosystem?"

Chen Xiu's words were forceful and impressive.

Li Yanhong's expression froze slightly, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes. He quickly regained his composure and began to unconsciously step back to the side in order to better think things through.

He took a few steps back and ended up in an area where no one should be standing, and then, by sheer coincidence, he bumped into a waiter who was walking by.

"Dangdang!"

The two glasses of champagne on the waiter's tray were poured over Li Yanhong, sobering him up and prompting him to react instinctively.

“What’s your…”

(End of this chapter)