On September 16, during the 2025 BRICS New Industrial Revolution Partnership Forum held in Xiamen, Zhou Hongyi, the founder of 360 Group, delivered an insightful speech. He emphasized that the market potential for professional agents within the industrial realm is immense, with development prospects that are ten times greater than those of traditional software.
Traditional software, he explained, merely functions as a fundamental efficiency - enhancing tool. Its operation hinges on manual input, and its effectiveness is largely constrained by the user's proficiency and capabilities. For instance, a novice user may only be able to utilize a fraction of the software's features, thereby limiting its overall impact.
In stark contrast, professional agents have the unique ability to simultaneously replace both the software - tool attributes and the human - execution attributes. By doing so, they can significantly reduce operational costs. For example, they can automate complex tasks that would otherwise require extensive human labor, thus cutting down on labor expenses. Moreover, they can enhance the quality of outcomes. Since they operate based on pre - programmed algorithms and advanced data analysis, they are less prone to human errors and can deliver more consistent and accurate results. Ultimately, this leads to a more efficient approach to cost reduction and efficiency enhancement, marking a significant leap forward in industrial operations.