Baidu's Robin Li Advocates for Ongoing Investment in AI

Robin Li, the co-founder and CEO of Baidu Inc., emphasized the importance of continued investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure at the recent World Governments Summit in Dubai. Despite the emergence of the AI startup DeepSeek, which has brought attention to the cost-efficiency of large language models, Li maintains that investment in essential areas such as chips, data centers, and cloud infrastructure is vital for the future of AI.

Li stated, "When technology is still evolving at such a rapid rate, you just cannot stop investing. You have to invest to make sure that you are at the very front of this technological innovation or revolution." His comments were made in light of DeepSeek's release of model R1, which has shown performance equal to that of leading models from OpenAI, yet operates at a significantly lower cost and with less computing power.

According to Li, the success of DeepSeek illustrates how innovation flourishes in settings where experimentation is encouraged. He remarked, "Innovation can't be planned. You don't know when and where the innovation comes. What you can do is just to foster an environment that is conducive to innovation." This perspective highlights the need for continued support for technological development.

Baidu was one of the first companies in China to launch its AI model, Ernie Bot, in March 2023, shortly after OpenAI's ChatGPT debuted in November 2022. Li expressed his optimism regarding the AI landscape, noting that large language models are capable of generating considerable value in diverse applications.

Moreover, he pointed out that the inference cost of foundational AI models could potentially be reduced by over 90 percent within a year. Li explained, "If you can reduce the cost by a certain percentage, then that means your productivity increases by that kind of percentage. I think that's pretty much the nature of innovation." His emphasis on productivity and cost efficiency aligns with ongoing discussions regarding the financial viability of AI advancements.

AI, Investment, Innovation