While criticizing Baidu has become somewhat of a political norm today, it primarily serves as a narrative device amidst significant societal shifts, catering more to public curiosity than reflecting the company's actual standing. Nonetheless, criticism is ubiquitous, and I too can engage in it. After devoting considerable effort to large models, Baidu found itself outpaced by DeepSeek and hesitated over its integration, suffering strategically and publicly. Fortunately, it swiftly rectified this by announcing free, open-source access to DeepSeek and even reverting to the iconic "Have a question? Baidu it" slogan from two decades ago.

DeepSeek's triumph propels Baidu to redefine search

DeepSeek's emergence has indeed caused a seismic shift in the industry, significantly impacting most large models developed by domestic giants. While I believe such technological breakthroughs have an element of randomness, their significance lies not in surpassing giants' large models but in elevating all large models to a common ground.

Previously, debates centered on the superiority of Wenxin, Doubao, Tongyi, or even Kimi. Now, the conversation revolves around who has integrated DeepSeek. As everyone adopts DeepSeek, discussions about model preference wane, and the focus shifts to large model applications. This universal integration represents a significant leap for the entire AI industry.

Li Yanhong once advocated, "There's no need for everyone to develop their own large models; just integrate with Wenxin Yiyan to create applications." This viewpoint was partially correct but has now evolved into integrating solely with DeepSeek—an industry consensus. The remaining challenge lies in leveraging AI to innovate applications.

In fact, Baidu's edge in this area is more pronounced than in large models. DeepSeek's success is more of a boon than a bane for Baidu. Its prompt decision to offer free, open-source access underscores this. The real competition has just commenced.

Baidu's AI application landscape remains pioneering, with breakthroughs in Baidu Wenku and Baidu Netdisk. Since integrating AI to transform content like intelligent PPTs, Baidu Wenku's AI MAU has surpassed 90 million, commanding an 80%+ market share in intelligent PPTs and 40+ million paid users, ranking second globally and first in China.

Reimagined as a "one-stop AI content acquisition and creation platform," Baidu Wenku extends its reach to learning, office work, family education, and part-time earning, offering hundreds of AI features including intelligent PPTs, documents, industry reports, and web searches. Meanwhile, Baidu Netdisk, once a mere storage solution, has transformed into an AI-powered content processing hub. Its Simple series instantly converts classroom recordings, meeting contents, and financial reports into notes and AI summaries.

Many overlook the success of these AI application terminals, fixated on large models. This myopia reflects a discourse dominated by the US AI field.

With Baidu integrating DeepSeek for a more inclusive large model strategy, the AI enhancements in Baidu APP are astounding. Searching on Baidu APP reveals transformed results, featuring AI summaries and intelligent layouts. AI summaries provide precise answers, while intelligent layouts enrich results, offering videos, articles, encyclopedias, and AI-extracted key points and timelines tailored to user needs.

This personalized search mirrors an intelligent agent, offering superior user feedback and experience. Thus, DeepSeek has strengthened, not weakened, Baidu's AI advantages, an edge unavailable to competitors.

Change and constancy: navigating cycles is key

Leading every era is challenging; staying relevant is vital. As long as a company remains in the game, there's always a chance to turn the tide. In 2005, Baidu's "Have a question? Baidu it" slogan catapulted it to tech fame, turning "Baidu it" into a verb and a cultural catchphrase, heralding a decade of glory.

Adapting to the information flow model, Baidu revised its content and slogan in 2016 to "Search when you need it, browse when you're bored." Within two years, it led the information flow sector. By 2021, transitioning to a lifestyle service platform, it integrated diverse service plugins and changed its slogan to "Baidu it, life is better."

Notably, the "Baidu it" keyword returned, signifying that despite years of development, Baidu realized users' core demand and its competitive edge still revolve around search. And now, Baidu's slogan reverts to "Have a question? Baidu it," bearing a new connotation despite seeming similar.

A Zen saying from "Wu Deng Hui Yuan" describes life's realms: first seeing the mountain as a mountain, then not seeing it, and finally seeing it anew. Though still "Baidu it," its meaning and reach have profoundly transformed. Fashion cycles every 20 years; technology does too.

This isn't unique to Baidu. JD.com revived its "More, Faster, Better, Cheaper" slogan, and Taobao its "The Almighty Taobao." These returns reflect the information overload era, where brand recognition inertia guides user decisions. Reverting to the past reduces choice costs better than building new brand recognition.

Yet, e-commerce competition hinges on cheaper rivals impacting established leaders. Baidu's transformation stems from AI's value reshaping, evident in its large model's free, open-source DeepSeek access. Contrary to popular belief, Baidu's years of recognition, rich content products, and DeepSeek integration strengthen its AI field advantage, making it both wiser and stronger.

New AI-Driven Search Paradigm

Baidu faces criticism for its rigid traditional search business model, where promotions clash with search results, degrading user experience. This internal barrier is tough to break, but AI provides external disruption.

Fundamentally, AI organizes search results, consolidating fragmented web information into a single, logically elaborated outcome. This transforms traditional search's user experience, with intelligent summaries boosting information acquisition efficiency manifold.

From a decision-making perspective, AI offers scenario-based solutions through information organization, enhancing search's value, shifting from mere information display to aiding thought and decision-making. Previously, search engine quality was judged by webpage updates, quantity, and quality. Now, these issues are obsolete; users no longer sift through pages, marking a disruptive change.

Moreover, by integrating scenarios and applications, search links to creation. For instance, Wenxin large model-powered Baidu Wenku generates intelligent PPTs, closing the loop from information acquisition to content production. This "search as a service" evolution transcends traditional search advertising models, often Baidu's critique target.

Today, Baidu Wenku's annual revenue exceeds RMB 2 billion, pioneering AI application monetization. Large models' high inference costs pose a challenge; integrating DeepSeek may cost enterprises hundreds of millions to billions monthly. Charging intelligently through application layers above large models is crucial. Industry-wide, Baidu Wenku excels, ranking second globally after Microsoft. This advantage merits attention and serves as a reference.

Therefore, the industry must transcend large models' closed-source, personalized competition and establish business application models sharing DeepSeek. In this regard, Baidu leads and shouldn't be dismissed due to emotional narratives. Baidu's slogan return signifies AI-driven paradigm renewal. Search remains essential, and in this new competition, Baidu holds advantages in user habits and application entry points, technologically and otherwise.