Mei Ri Jing Ji Xin Wen·2025-08-11 11:59Core Insights - Microsoft officially shut down the Bing Search API on August 11, signaling a significant shift in the search industry towards a closed AI-driven answer ecosystem, moving away from the open link indexing era [1][2] - The competition for AI search is intensifying among major tech companies, including Google, Microsoft, Baidu, Tencent, and ByteDance, as they aim to capture a growing user base projected to reach 685 million by June 2025 in China [1][3] Industry Dynamics - The closure of the Bing API disrupts many small search services and tools that relied on Bing data, indicating a fundamental change in the search engine's competitive landscape [2] - The new model introduced by Microsoft limits developers' access to structured search result data, providing only AI-generated answers, which reflects a broader trend towards AI-driven search solutions [2][3] User Growth and Market Potential - According to QuestMobile, the monthly active user base for AI search engines in China is expected to reach 685 million by June 2025, highlighting the immense potential of this market [1][5] - Baidu's AI search, powered by its Wenxin Yiyan model, has already achieved 322 million monthly active users, indicating strong user engagement and the potential for significant commercial growth [5] Advertising and Revenue Models - The shift towards AI search is also transforming advertising strategies, with companies like Google and Microsoft integrating ads directly into AI-generated answers, creating new opportunities for user engagement and conversion [3][4] - Baidu is enhancing its advertising capabilities by embedding AI summaries in search results and improving ad relevance and conversion rates through advanced model integration [5] Emerging Trends in Optimization - Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is emerging as a new focus for brands, shifting the emphasis from traditional SEO to ensuring that brand information is selected by AI for inclusion in comprehensive answers [7][8] - The market for GEO is projected to reach a scale of billions in China by 2027, driven by changing user preferences and evolving advertising logic [8] Challenges and Future Outlook - Despite the rapid growth of GEO, traditional SEO remains the dominant channel for traffic, suggesting that companies should integrate both strategies for optimal results [9] - The effectiveness of GEO is still under evaluation, with some experts cautioning that it is in the experimental stage, similar to early SEO practices [9][10]