NetEase and iQIYI pivot toward AI-driven content and community models

Major Chinese media companies NetEase and iQIYI are pivoting toward deep AI integration to transform content creation and community interaction.

NetEase Media is launching ‘Bee AI’ within its youth-oriented community, NetEase Little Bee. Rather than focusing on general-purpose chatbots, NetEase aims to embed AI into information retrieval, interest consumption, and content creation. The company has invested nearly 100 billion yuan in R&D over the past five years. The strategy focuses on reducing the technical barriers for users, allowing them to create interactive content and games through simple prompts rather than complex engineering. NetEase also emphasizes ‘knowledge co-construction,’ using community-verified data to improve AI accuracy in niche areas like campus life and career services.

Similarly, iQIYI CEO Gong Yu has announced an ‘All in AI’ strategy. The platform aims to use AI to empower live-action filming and AIGC (AI-Generated Content) long-form film production. Alongside this, iQIYI is pursuing a transition toward decentralized social media. By moving away from a centralized model where a few decision-makers dictate audience preferences, the platform intends to empower a massive influx of creators. This shift aims to lower production costs and cycles, turning the traditional player into a component of a larger creator-user community where creators can monetize content directly.