On March 17, during the Yabuli Forum, Ouyang Jian, CEO of Kunlunxin, remarked that just a year ago, skepticism still surrounded large-scale AI models. Today, he noted, programmers who fail to leverage these models for coding risk becoming obsolete, as broad-based adoption of large model applications has emerged as an undeniable trend. Ouyang emphasized that tokens—the fundamental units enabling AI interactions—are poised to become the "water, electricity, and coal" of the AI era, constituting a "new basic necessity" for both industrial production and everyday life. He highlighted that global token demand has already surged to the quadrillion scale and continues to grow exponentially. However, he stressed, affordability must remain a core principle. Leading AI firms are actively innovating to slash token costs, with Ouyang asserting that prices need to plummet at least tenfold to unlock transformative business opportunities and democratize AI access.
