What Value Do Large Models Bring to Ordinary People in the Wave of AI?
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In the first decade of the new century, Pu Shu's 'NEW BOY' echoed through streets and alleys, while the internet flourished wildly in China, giving rise to major internet companies led by the three major portals. At that time, after IOC President Samaranch announced 'BEIJING' as the host city for the 2008 Olympics, cheers erupted at the China Millennium Monument, and Tiananmen Square was flooded with people. Soon after, Sohu became the first to secure the broadcasting rights for the Beijing Olympics, and for a time, 'Watch the Olympics on Sohu' adorned the sides of buses across the city.
Image source: AI-generated image, licensed by Midjourney.
During this decade, many rode this wave to achieve upward mobility, but for most, the internet's significance lay in bridging the knowledge gap and revealing a broader world.
Today, the momentum of large models rivals that of the internet back then. The 'Hundred-Model War' is no exaggeration—according to CCID data, as of July this year, there were already 130 large models in China. Despite the deafening noise from industries and media, most people's experience with large models remains limited to solving problems like 'chickens and rabbits in the same cage' with GPT.
What value do large models hold for ordinary people?
'Out of the multitude, take but a sip'
Technological innovation doesn't always bring disruptive impact at the outset, but it always stems from the deepest needs. A decade ago in China, on the eve of 4G replacing 3G, most people had little imagination for 4G, seeing it merely as faster internet. Yet, not long after, powered by 4G networks, short videos spread like wildfire across the world, becoming one of the primary ways people consume information and relax.
However, at the opposite end of leisure and relaxation, the vast demand for office work has solidified the 'iron triangle'—laptops, personal tablets, and smartphones—a pattern that has remained unchanged for over a decade. Even with the advent of video conferencing and workbench software, the landscape of office tools remains relatively stable.
According to data from research institutions like IDC and Canalys, desktops and laptops, which are convenient for use in offices or workstations, generated over 200 billion yuan in sales last year, while more portable ultrabooks and high-end tablets accounted for a market of around 70 billion yuan. More fragmented scenarios are incidentally addressed by smartphones. The market size remains substantial, but growth rates have repeatedly turned negative.
Using computers for communication and documentation is not always ideal, often leading to two to three hours of content organization. In certain situations, such as meeting important clients, frequently glancing at a computer screen is also considered poor business etiquette. If we roughly divide daily work, half of it involves high-value tasks like ideation, analysis, research, discussion, and perspective-sharing, while the other half is consumed by the more labor-intensive tasks of desk research, searching, recording, and refining. Often, the latter tasks are so fragmented that they drain people's energy, leaving little room for more meaningful and preferred activities.
Currently, anti-'CPU' (a metaphor for overwork), 'involution,' and 'lying flat' are trending topics. These seemingly contradictory attitudes are not entirely at odds: those who claim to 'lie flat' are still driven by intense curiosity, and the sense of achievement and excitement from finding an answer can offset accumulated fatigue. The dopamine-driven sense of accomplishment is rare yet enduring. Those who resist being 'CPU'd' will forge their own paths with unwavering determination, no matter how long the journey.
The ability to control work with autonomous will, master time management, and see through the clutter to grasp the bigger picture are deep-seated needs for professionals.
In response, the answer provided by large models is—keeping the key in one's own hands.
Grasping the key means not obsessing over irrelevant details but focusing on the pivotal elements that can move the entire situation. It's about selecting the essential from the vast, like taking just one scoop from three thousand liters of water to cross mountains and seas to meet. It's akin to ignoring higher-order infinitesimals in Fourier transforms to find the crucial monomial, or cutting through verbal embellishments to strike directly and win decisively.
Recently, iFLYTEK Office, under iFLYTEK, collaborated with Zhang Chaoyang, Xue Zhaofeng, Zhu Junyi, and Hou Yifan to release a brand short film. Zhang Chaoyang, the founder of Sohu, is also the lecturer of 'Zhang Chaoyang's Physics Class.' Xue Zhaofeng is an 'exception' among economists, hosting a paid audio program on 'Dedao' with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, making economics accessible to the general public. Zhu Junyi, as the chief screenwriter, produced the hit drama 'The Knockout' earlier this year. Hou Yifan is a four-time world chess champion who recently represented China at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Despite their diverse backgrounds, the common thread in their success stories is the ability to simplify complexity and focus on the key elements.
This underlying logic is also the core capability updated in iFLYTEK's office product family since the launch of the Spark large model—from clear listening to clear thinking, from transcription to insightful summarization.
For example, the iFLYTEK Smart Office Notebook X3 can automatically generate meeting minutes based on voice transcriptions and handwritten notes on the e-ink screen. The iFLYTEK Smart Recorder SR502 adjusts the order of recorded text and optimizes expressions. Tasks that are overly fragmented and consume excessive energy can be handled by iFLYTEK Office products. Even tens of thousands of words can be condensed into three key points, making the essentials immediately visible. Even fleeting work arrangements during meetings can be transformed into comprehensive reminders, keeping important matters under control. Consequently, the time and energy saved can be redirected to other critical tasks—focusing on breakthrough points, key actions, communication essentials, and articulation priorities.
Out of the myriad options, only take what you need. Being able to distill and grasp the essence may not be the final chapter of large models in office applications, but it marks the beginning of their value for ordinary people, making it tangible and understandable.
The value proposition is clear,
but what form should support it?
Iterating and breaking through in C-end products is never easy. It requires building underlying technologies while ensuring a seamless product experience and finding the right product form.
As mentioned earlier, current office products are primarily desktops and laptops, with smartphones and tablets as supplements. However, computers, phones, and tablets were not originally designed solely for office use—they also serve entertainment and information purposes. They are feature-rich, loaded with apps, and endlessly competing in aesthetics—colors like onyx black and peacock green are now approaching high-end jewelry tones. As a result, these products seem "overburdened" for pure office scenarios.
In terms of form, iFlytek's solution for office is to abandon greed. It rejects the traditional mindset of seeking completeness and abundance, instead embedding vertical office functions into dedicated hardware. In professional scenarios, specialized hardware is used—this applies to the iFlytek office pad, smart recorder, and translator. Work is not confined to desks or cubicles; it also includes intense discussions in meeting rooms, harmonious conversations in tea rooms, and sudden inspirations on the go. In many cases where heavy computer-based creation isn’t needed—just reviewing materials, annotating, replying, or recording—the advantage of vertical hardware becomes evident. It’s far lighter than ultrabooks or tablets, instantly ready for note-taking and annotations, and allows immediate output and sharing with the team.
With the support of iFlytek's Spark cognitive model, the e-ink Smart Office Notepad X3 can automatically generate meeting minutes, refine recorded content, and leverage its open-ended dialogue capabilities to answer user questions while generating relevant documents in real time.
This achievement highlights iFlytek's significant investment in large language models. At its October 24 Global Developer Conference, the company unveiled Spark V3.0 - a next-generation cognitive model entirely developed using domestic computing resources that comprehensively matches ChatGPT's capabilities, even surpassing it in Chinese language benchmarks while achieving comparable performance in 48 English language tasks.
Ordinary People in the AI Wave
The era of large models is liberating professionals from repetitive tasks. Models that "understand summarization and identify key points" are becoming efficiency-boosting partners for workplace advancement.
Take Li Zi, a finance professional. During quarterly transitions - the busiest period for finance teams - she uses iFlytek's SR502 smart recorder to analyze meeting content, distill key points, and rapidly build structured project reviews. "While smart products present new challenges, the digital intelligence era allows us to leverage technology for seamless performance across scenarios," she notes.
Entrepreneur Song Ming shares similar experiences. After founding his startup, he spends most time conducting customer interviews rather than office work. Initially relying on notebooks (finding laptops too formal and tablets too casual), he now uses the Smart Office Notepad X3 which transcribes interviews, supports handwriting, and integrates with email and WPS Office - "a perfect solution for mobile professionals."
"Through research and communication, I no longer need to meticulously analyze every detail upon returning. Key discussion points can be quickly identified. In the past, I found that carefully pondering and repeatedly considering others' words provided me with significant inspiration, especially when entering fields where I lacked expertise. Their insights often served as direct guidance for improving product definitions or sales strategies. This is actually crucial experience - don't dismiss the importance of detailed thinking just because it takes time. However, our entire communication process used to be lengthy, and I spent too much effort recalling, replaying, and 'analyzing' conversations. Now it's much more efficient, and I feel more confident about not missing important content. This is incredibly valuable to me."
This represents the epitome of countless dedicated professionals in today's era who take their work seriously and constantly strive for improvement. For ordinary people, how can we better navigate forward in this era and environment? It's about leveraging new momentum to unlock new value, focusing on what's essential, and exploring with clarity.
Life presents us with countless encounters with people and situations. Only by discarding the trivial and pursuing the fundamental, by grasping what's crucial, can we achieve a sense of completeness in what might otherwise feel lacking.