The Industrial Internet is arriving right on schedule, making its presence felt all around us. Whether it’s the real economy or the virtual economy, the profound transformation they are currently undergoing largely serves as an annotation for the Industrial Internet. This judgment stems from the fundamental reason that both the virtual and real economies are experiencing a deep and comprehensive metamorphosis, which precisely captures the essential meaning of the Industrial Internet. The primary reason for this profound and comprehensive change in both the virtual and real economies is that AI is beginning to play an increasingly important role and function.
At a time when the Industrial Internet seemed unable to open its doors, with AI’s implementation and application in more and more industries and scenarios, players have begun to find a key to unlock the gate of the Industrial Internet. From this perspective, AI is precisely the infrastructure of the Industrial Internet era, just as the internet was the infrastructure of the Consumer Internet era. Therefore, for any player aiming to make a mark in the Industrial Internet era, it is imperative to grasp this golden key—AI.
AI: Truly Transforming Industries
When we talk about the Industrial Internet, one prominent feature often mentioned is that the industries themselves will undergo a profound and comprehensive transformation. Therefore, oftentimes, the reason it is called the Industrial Internet is not necessarily its connection to the internet, but rather the comprehensive and profound changes happening within the industries themselves. From this standpoint, only when a genuine transformation occurs can it truly be called the Industrial Internet.
In the past, people have consistently searched for ways and methods to realize and implement the Industrial Internet. In this process, they experimented with big data, cloud computing, and blockchain. However, the only technology that has truly been able to transform industries and bring about a genuine makeover remains AI.
When considering the connotation and significance of AI for the Industrial Internet, we should not merely see AI’s role in improving the efficiency of both the virtual and real economies. Instead, we should recognize AI’s role in reshaping and reconstructing the intrinsic elements, operational logic, and internal relationships within these economies. Therefore, the change brought about by AI in industries is not just superficial; it penetrates deep into the inner workings of sectors and is supported by a complete, closed-loop business operational logic. This constitutes a true industrial transformation. Only such industrial transformation is sustainable; only such industrial transformation is not a castle in the air or a mirage.
AI: Truly Realizing the Integration of Digital and Real Economies
The Industrial Internet era is, in fact, a process of industrial integration. More precisely, the Industrial Internet era is a process of deep integration between the digital economy and the real economy. From this perspective, only by achieving the integration of digital and real entities, only by bridging the gap between the virtual economy and the real economy, can we truly speak of the Industrial Internet.
In the past, although players experimented with many models and tried various approaches, the digital economy and the real economy remained separate, independent, and unable to fully integrate. When the digital economy and the real economy cannot achieve true integration, when they cannot be truly bridged, the Industrial Internet essentially cannot be realized. Conversely, one crucial reason why AI becomes the key to unlocking the Industrial Internet is that it achieves deep integration between the digital and real economies and gives rise to new industrial entities.
If we were to look for the most unique examples of AI realizing the integration of digital and real entities, agents and humanoid robots undoubtedly stand out as the most prominent representatives. In a sense, agents and humanoid robots are new industrial forms derived from the digital economy and the real economy, respectively, in the Industrial Internet era. In agents and humanoid robots, we can see traces of both the virtual economy and the real economy. In a way, they are representations of the Industrial Internet era. Through them, we glimpse the form of new industrial patterns in the age of the Industrial Internet.
AI: Truly Giving Birth to New Business Models
According to the latest news, for the Industrial Internet, it is only truly accomplished and realized when a business model suitable for it is established. When the Industrial Internet era fails to form its own set of business models, it remains flying under the sky of the Consumer Internet. In the past, many attempts at the Industrial Internet by various players failed to break free from the dependence and constraints of the Consumer Internet, largely because they had not found their own distinctive business models.
With the advent of the AI era, especially as AI begins to be implemented in more and more industries and scenarios, new business models are beginning to emerge. So, what are the characteristics of these new business models spawned by AI? The author believes that the most significant feature of these new business models is the achievement of precise and personalized matching between supply and demand, enabling point-to-point connections between the two ends. More precisely, it realizes a decentralized business model. Under this entirely new business model, industry operational efficiency is higher, user experience is better, and the matching of supply and demand is more accurate.
It is precisely because AI has spawned such a completely new business model, distinct from the past, that we have reason to believe it has found new commercial support. It is for this reason that we can believe it has truly entered the Industrial Internet era. And precisely because of this, AI has become the new key to unlocking the door to the Industrial Internet.
As AI begins to land in more and more scenarios and industries, especially as it starts to bring about increasing changes to industries, the long-awaited era of the Industrial Internet is approaching. In a sense, AI has become the key for players to unlock the door to the Industrial Internet. Catalyzed by AI, industries themselves are undergoing genuine transformation, the virtual and real economies are achieving deep integration, and new business models are being born and emerging. As all this begins to happen, the Industrial Internet starts to transition from ideal to reality.
