According to reports, the AI innovation team of Xiaohongshu, led by Zhang Debing (also known as Yuchen), the head of AI innovation, has started the internal product gray testing of the self-developed universal large model base "Xiaodi Gua". This project is coordinated and promoted by Deng Chao (also known as Yingmu), the product and design leader of Xiaohongshu.
Since last year, Xiaohongshu has actively invested in the research and application of AI technology, especially in the two directions of multimodal technology and AI content creation tools. Previously, Xiaohongshu has launched AI doodle function and AI image matching function "Now", which have achieved good response in the graphic content ecosystem.
However, Xiaohongshu is very cautious about launching new AI products, mainly because it is concerned about disrupting the existing content ecosystem. An internal source said, "Xiaohongshu's content ecosystem is mainly based on the sharing of real users' recommendations. How to ensure the natural integration of AI content on the platform without being abrupt is a major challenge for the team."
In the process of exploring AI applications, Xiaohongshu is also trying to apply AI technology to search and information flow recommendations to expand new user scenarios. In September last year, Xiaohongshu launched the generative search assistant "DAVINCI" based on the large language model of MiniMax, a large model company, to provide users with a more natural and intelligent search experience. At the same time, this move is also regarded as an important part of Xiaohongshu's e-commerce drainage.
In addition to search, Xiaohongshu has also tried new AI features in the social field. During the Spring Festival, Xiaohongshu launched social functions such as "AI Pet Buddy" and AI group chat companions that can intelligently create roles in group chats, providing users with more interesting and diverse social experiences.
Although Xiaohongshu has made many attempts in the field of AI, AI has not yet become the company's core layout focus. An internal source said that Xiaohongshu pays more attention to user needs and market feedback, and will only increase investment and application of AI technology after clarifying application scenarios and user acceptance.
Currently, Xiaohongshu's main business focus is still in the short video field, which accounts for most of the company's manpower and financial resources. Therefore, the resources left for AI exploration are relatively limited. However, as technology continues to advance and the market continues to change, Xiaohongshu also realizes the need to respond quickly to technological changes.
Therefore, while self-developing large models, Xiaohongshu is also actively seeking external cooperation. The company has strategically invested in large model unicorns MiniMax and Moon's Dark Side, and jointly developed products based on third-party large models with these partners. For example, "DAVINCI" and "AI Pet Buddy" are products launched based on MiniMax's model base.
In consideration of data security, building large models at the application layer has become a trend in the industry. Xiaohongshu is also actively laying out under this trend. It has applied for a trademark for the self-developed large model "Xiaodi Gua" and has conducted tests in multiple AI products. According to insiders, "Xiaodi Gua" has reached the level of mainstream large models in China in terms of application performance and is expected to play a greater role in Xiaohongshu's content ecosystem in the future.
