The rise of generative AI and large models has sparked a new wave of technological innovation. Over the past two years, the application of generative AI has transitioned from concept to reality, attracting numerous global enterprises and capital investments into this field. At the 2024 Baidu World Conference, Baidu founder Robin Li focused on the "core value" of generative AI, emphasizing that the true significance of technology lies in its practical application rather than market hype. He mentioned, "The AI boom over the past 24 months represents a genuine technological revolution."

As internet pioneer and renowned tech investor Marc Andreessen said, "Software is eating the world," and AI is reshaping every layer of this world. Baidu set the theme of its 2024 conference as "Applications Are Here," marking the transition of generative AI technology from theoretical validation in labs to practical commercial applications, becoming a core force driving corporate innovation and enhancing social efficiency. Li also made it clear that the ultimate goal of AI technology goes beyond technological innovation itself; it aims to tangibly improve people's work and lifestyle through intelligent empowerment, realizing the vision of "intelligence-driven, empowering all aspects."

iRAG's 'Real Revolution': Baidu AI Ushers in a New Era of Image Generation

At the 2024 Baidu World Conference, Baidu's iRAG (Image Retrieval-based Augmented Generation) technology garnered significant attention. Developed by Baidu, this technology pushes AI image generation to unprecedented levels of "realism." Unlike traditional text-based RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation), iRAG combines Baidu's vast image resources with powerful foundation models, significantly enhancing the realism and detail accuracy of generated images through its "hallucination-free" feature, achieving a leap from fantasy to reality.

In traditional generative AI, the phenomenon of "hallucination" is common, where generated images often contain inaccurate details or logical inconsistencies, affecting the visual experience. The core of iRAG technology lies in combining image retrieval with generation to ensure the authenticity of visual details in the generated results, achieving near-photorealistic precision. For example, creating spectacular scenes like a car flying over the Great Wall, which previously required substantial funds and manpower for branding, can now be accurately simulated with almost zero cost using iRAG. Li pointed out that iRAG not only drastically reduces creation costs but also expands the application space for generated content, benefiting brand promotion, film and television production, comic creation, and more.

iRAG represents a profound transformation of AI in the creative industry. Generative AI has moved from text to images, achieving a leap from textual description to visual reproduction, reshaping content production across multiple industries. Brands, content creators, and even individual users will benefit from this technology's popularization, enabling more efficient realization of creative ideas and low-cost construction of complex visual content. iRAG makes AI go beyond mere generation to true representation, continuously pushing the boundaries of AI-generated content.

This breakthrough not only enhances the realism of image generation but also profoundly reshapes the creative industry ecosystem. The launch of iRAG marks a new era for generative AI, transitioning from "generation" to "empowerment," lowering the creative threshold while providing brands and content creators with more visual expression tools, significantly increasing the possibility of high-quality content production at low cost across industries.

The technological prospects embodied by iRAG deserve special attention. As a highly adaptable and scalable tool, it opens up new possibilities across multiple fields. For example, enterprises no longer need high costs for real-scene filming in brand promotion as AI-generated scenes are precise and brand-oriented, even surpassing actual footage. Similarly, film and television production teams can quickly generate visual samples during pre-planning, providing immense convenience and cost advantages for creative iteration.

From a user experience perspective, iRAG also extends generative AI beyond mere "appreciation" into real-life scenarios. In the future, consumers can virtually try on clothes at home, and architects can quickly preview designs, all achieved within seconds through high-precision image generation. As AI empowers creativity, it also reshapes productivity itself.

It is foreseeable that iRAG's technological innovation will spark a wave of widespread applications, inevitably introducing more disruptive innovations into the AI industry. From the creative industry to daily life, iRAG will serve as the key to unlocking the era of "intelligent content," bringing new usage experiences and unlimited possibilities to every user and industry participant.

Intelligent Agents: The Core Form in the AI Era, Reshaping Human-Computer Interaction

Li noted that future AI will evolve beyond simple tool roles, toward more personalized and intelligent "intelligent agents." This transformation signifies AI's progression from data analysis and automated execution to actively understanding user needs and adapting to user habits. Intelligent agents no longer merely execute commands but provide support in complex scenarios, making them akin to "digital partners" for users, similar to websites in the PC era and accounts in the mobile internet era.

The application potential of intelligent agents is undoubtedly enormous. With self-learning and adaptability, they can become versatile in various scenarios, from resolving user inquiries for corporate customer service to recommending personalized products as sales consultants and even managing daily affairs as personal assistants. Baidu's ERNIE Bot platform simplifies the creation of intelligent agents, making it accessible even to 11-year-old elementary school students. This ease of use accelerates the popularization of intelligent agents. Whether for individuals or enterprises, intelligent agents will become crucial tools for enhancing efficiency and experience.

In commercial applications, intelligent agents excel particularly. For example, after introducing intelligent agents, BYD saw an 119% increase in sales lead conversion rates. Behind this success lies the agents' ability to actively learn user preferences and needs, enabling more precise recommendations and efficient customer interactions. This highly personalized communication approach engages users in the interaction process rather than merely receiving one-way information, significantly enhancing the user experience and driving business value.

In the future, as intelligent agents' capabilities continue to grow, they are expected to replace traditional corporate websites as the primary interface for business-customer communication. Intelligent agents can provide 24/7 service, leveraging data to achieve precision marketing and personalized service. They have vast application prospects in education, finance, healthcare, and other fields, such as real-time student tutoring, financial advice, and health consultations. While meeting users' personalized needs, they also drive digital transformation across industries. The proliferation of intelligent agents will not only provide users with more efficient and user-friendly service experiences but also represent the inevitable evolution of AI from "assistant" to "digital partner."

The future direction of intelligent agents is becoming increasingly clear. On the one hand, with breakthroughs in natural language processing and computer vision, intelligent agents will become even more human-like in understanding and interaction. This "humanized" experience will transform intelligent agents from passive responders to active companions, truly becoming part of users' lives. On the other hand, advancements in emotional computing will bring even richer application scenarios for intelligent agents. For instance, in the future, intelligent agents may recognize users' emotional states, dynamically adjusting their interaction style to provide more personalized service experiences. This emotional intelligence not only helps intelligent agents better serve users but also strengthens trust and dependence between users and agents.

Simultaneously, the penetration of intelligent agents in industries will drive further innovation. Beyond finance, education, and healthcare, intelligent agents' applications will expand into more vertical fields like legal consulting, smart manufacturing, and personalized entertainment. Each industry has the potential to be profoundly reshaped by this efficient and intelligent interaction model.

Miaoda: A No-Code Platform Making Creativity Unrestricted

Amidst the rapid development of AI, technological innovations continue to lower the barriers to realizing creativity. Baidu's Miaoda platform, unveiled at the conference, represents the cutting edge of this trend. In his speech, Li introduced Miaoda as fulfilling the vision of no-code programming: users can drive intelligent agents and complete the entire project process from planning to execution through natural language interaction without understanding code. Li called it "by far the most complex multi-agent collaboration tool in human history," a bold innovation in AI collaboration and a new definition of digital productivity in the future.

Miaoda's innovation lies in three core features: no-code programming, multi-agent collaboration, and multi-tool invocation. These features not only lower the barriers to programming and application development but also free everyone's creativity from technical constraints. For example, during the demonstration, Li showed how to quickly build an event invitation system using Miaoda. Five intelligent agents collaborated, from planning and content creation to programming, quality inspection, and iteration, ultimately completing a fully functional application system. Previously, such tasks required multiple teams and weeks or even months of development time; now, one person can achieve them in minutes.

This no-code, fully intelligent model significantly boosts productivity. With the continuous development of foundational large models and Miaoda, individuals and small businesses can execute highly complex projects at low costs without relying on external technical teams. Li noted, "Miaoda equips everyone with the ability of a programmer; you can create applications just by speaking," marking a new era driven by ideas: creativity can be turned into reality. This is not only an opportunity brought by technological innovation but also a disruption of traditional work models.

In the long run, Miaoda's launch may catalyze a comprehensive explosion in the no-code ecosystem. Previously, the core forms of applications were software, websites, or apps. In the AI era, applications will gradually transform into intelligent agents, with natural language serving as the primary interaction method between users and agents. Li stated, "In the AI era, applications create the world." Against this backdrop, Miaoda undoubtedly ushers in a new era where everyone can create and extend their inspiration infinitely.

The Miaoda no-code platform will be released in the first quarter of next year. By then, we will not only witness the powerful breakthroughs of AI technology at the tool level but also glimpse the vast landscape of future human creativity fused with AI. Miaoda makes creativity accessible, enabling individuals, startups, and even users without a technical background to complete projects that previously required multiple teams and substantial costs within minutes. This not only accelerates the efficiency of creativity monetization but also profoundly changes production and collaboration models.

Looking back at Baidu's sustained investment in generative AI, from the ERNIE Bot large model to iRAG technology, intelligent agents, and now Miaoda, Baidu is gradually building a technological ecosystem that makes AI an infrastructure for innovation. Through intelligent agent collaboration, no-code programming, and multi-tool invocation, Baidu envisions a future where everyone can drive AI applications through creativity and conversation.

This prompts us to ponder: if everyone can easily realize their creativity, what will society look like in the future? Perhaps we will usher in a new era of "creativity as productivity," where everyone is a "creator," and every idea has the opportunity to become an application and commercial value. Traditional technological barriers are gradually disappearing, replaced by the collision of ideas and the release of value.

Standing at the starting point of this technological revolution, we might ask ourselves: in a world where AI is not just a tool but a "creative partner," what can we create with these limitless technological possibilities? It is time to redefine the relationship between individuals and technology, exploring how to seamlessly connect creativity, value, and AI to jointly create our intelligent future.