Call to AIGC Heroes: Baidu's Robin Li Unveils Geek Spirit

On May 31, during the JPMorgan Global China Summit, Baidu's founder, chairman, and CEO Robin Li announced the launch of the Baidu Wenxin Investment Fund, valued at 1 billion. This initiative is designed to cultivate a robust ecosystem for large model technologies. Li also introduced the "Wenxin Cup," a startup competition offering up to 10 million in early-stage investment prizes.

Li stated, "To create a dynamic ecosystem and aid developers in building AI-native applications, Baidu is establishing a significant investment fund. The 'Wenxin Cup' competition will invite participants to submit innovative ideas and prototypes. Our objective is to discover the most promising projects and provide necessary funding. Developers in the U.S. are already capitalizing on platforms like ChatGPT, and we expect Chinese developers to increasingly harness the Wenxin large model for their AI applications."

He expressed confidence in China's ability to develop its own ecosystem, featuring unique large language models. "We foresee at least one to three foundational models that will support various AI-native applications," he noted. "Baidu's Wenxin large model aims to be one of these essential building blocks for AI developers."

Li emphasized China's historical adaptability to emerging technologies, pointing out, "While we may not have invented operating systems like Android or iOS, we've birthed many innovative applications such as WeChat, TikTok, and Didi. This trend will continue in the AI era, as technology opens up vast possibilities, and we excel at creating applications that maximize these opportunities."

The Wenxin Cup startup competition officially launched on May 31 and will accept registrations until June 25 at 24:00. Participants must focus on AI-Generated Content (AIGC) and innovative applications utilizing large models, demonstrating the ability to build applications based on the Wenxin large model or integrate it with existing products. Both new startups with business plans and those with existing products or demos are encouraged to compete.

Competing teams will gain access to the capabilities of Wenxin's large model and Baidu's intelligent cloud computing resources. Established investors from firms like IDG Capital, Baidu Ventures, and Baidu Capital, along with prominent Baidu AI experts, will serve as judges. Winning teams can secure investments valued at 10 million, 5 million, and 2 million, along with mentorship in AI large model technologies.

Additionally, Baidu's Wenxin Investment Fund aims to bolster promising startups in the AIGC sector, offering funding, technical expertise, and business resources to nurture quality entrepreneurial teams and enhance China's AI large model ecosystem.