2026-01-15 01:06Investment Rating - The report suggests a positive outlook on the Chatbot industry, indicating it has become a "Killer App" in the AI era, with significant user engagement and growth potential [3][6]. Core Insights - Chatbots have emerged as a transformative application in the AI landscape, akin to social media platforms in the internet era, enabling users to become content creators with low barriers to entry [3][9]. - ChatGPT leads the global market with over 870 million monthly active users (MAU) as of November 2025, capturing 63% of the market share, while domestic competitor Doubao has also achieved significant user engagement [3][25]. - The evolution from Chatbot to Agent is anticipated, with potential for Chatbots to develop into comprehensive service platforms, similar to early messaging apps [3][10]. - Monetization strategies are evolving, with current models focusing on subscriptions in overseas markets and free access in domestic markets, suggesting a shift towards a "free + transaction-driven advertising" model in the future [3][10]. Summary by Sections Section 1: Chatbot as a "Killer App" - Chatbots are positioned as the leading application in the AI era, demonstrating rapid user growth and engagement comparable to social media platforms [3][9]. - The user engagement metrics for ChatGPT show a monthly active user count surpassing major social platforms, indicating a shift in user behavior towards AI applications [3][10]. Section 2: Market Dynamics - ChatGPT's user base has reached over 700 million weekly active users (WAU), while Gemini, a competitor, has 650 million active users, showcasing a competitive landscape [25][30]. - The report highlights the importance of user retention, with ChatGPT showing higher retention rates compared to competitors, indicating strong user loyalty [29][30]. Section 3: User Behavior and Engagement - The report notes that ChatGPT's average daily usage time is around 16-17 minutes, reflecting deep integration into users' daily routines [29][30]. - The user overlap between different AI applications suggests that users are leveraging multiple tools for various tasks, indicating a trend towards diversified usage [33][34]. Section 4: Domestic Market Insights - In the Chinese market, Doubao has established a leading position with over 100 million daily active users (DAU), benefiting from the mobile internet's growth trajectory [49][50]. - The report emphasizes the rapid growth of AI applications in China, particularly through in-app integrations with major platforms like WeChat and Douyin [50][56].