In the first edition of the 2024 Ideal AI Talk, Li Xiang, CEO of Ideal Auto, shared his views on the future role of artificial intelligence in the automotive industry and announced that the company would transform into an AI enterprise. Li believes that intelligence is the future of the automotive industry, and Ideal Auto will play an important role in this transformation.
Regarding research and development investments, Li revealed that half of the annual R&D budget of 10 billion yuan is allocated to the field of artificial intelligence. He believes that the emergence of large models will bring fundamental changes to humanity; the internet has enabled equal access to information, while artificial intelligence will help achieve equality in cognition and knowledge.
Li also elaborated on the three stages of artificial intelligence development. The first stage is "Enhanced Capability," where AI primarily serves as an assistant, and the decision-making power remains with the user, such as in L3 autonomous driving technology. The second stage is "My Assistant," where AI can independently complete tasks and take responsibility for the results, such as in L4 autonomous driving technology. The third stage, the ultimate stage, is "Silicon-Based Family," where AI will no longer require instructions and task assignments, becoming a member of the family and even an important organizer within it, understanding users, their families, and friends better than they do themselves.
Regarding the future naming of Ideal Auto, Li stated that Ideal Auto is not just a car company, but an artificial intelligence enterprise. The company's goal is not simply to achieve intelligence in cars but to realize the automotiveization of artificial intelligence and promote the widespread adoption of AI technology in every household. He mentioned that although the company's logo does not include the word "car," and the operational company name remains "Beijing Chehejia Information Technology Co., Ltd.," hardware is still very important to the company. Li believes that the company's vision is to "connect the physical world and the digital world" and is committed to becoming a leading artificial intelligence enterprise.
