Core Insights - The article discusses the performance and user experience of the Li Auto's VLA (Vehicle Lane Assist) system compared to Tesla's FSD (Full Self-Driving) system, highlighting that while VLA shows promise, it still falls short of the seamless experience provided by FSD in certain scenarios [1][2][3]. Experience Evaluation - The experience is divided into three parts: driving in a controlled environment with no driver present, a one-hour public road test, and a two-hour self-selected route test [1]. - Feedback from users indicates that the VLA system provides a comfortable and efficient experience, particularly in controlled environments, but its performance in more complex road scenarios remains to be fully evaluated [2][3]. User Feedback - Users noted a significant difference in the braking experience of VLA, describing it as smooth and seamless compared to traditional driving, which enhances the perception of safety and comfort [3][4]. - The article emphasizes that the initial goal for autonomous driving systems should be to outperform 80% of average drivers before aiming for higher benchmarks [4][5]. Iteration Potential - The VLA system is believed to have substantial room for improvement compared to its predecessor, VLM, with potential advancements in four key areas: simulation data efficiency, maximizing existing hardware capabilities, enhancing model performance through reinforcement learning, and improving user voice control experiences [6][7]. - The article suggests that the shift to reinforcement learning for VLA allows for targeted optimizations in response to specific driving challenges, which was a limitation in previous models [8][9]. User Experience and Product Development - The importance of user experience is highlighted, with the assertion that in the AI era, product experience can be as crucial as technical capabilities [10]. - The voice control feature of VLA is seen as a significant enhancement, allowing for personalized driving experiences based on user preferences, which could improve overall satisfaction [10].

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the unique characteristics of the AI academic community compared to other disciplines, highlighting the rapid growth and the implications for the quality and significance of research papers submitted to top conferences [5][7][8]. Group 1: Characteristics of AI Academic Community - AI conferences are more important than journals due to the fast-paced development of AI, which makes the lengthy journal review process inadequate [5]. - The number of submissions and acceptances to top AI conferences has significantly increased over the past decade, with acceptance rates declining, indicating a surge in competition [5][7]. - The rapid increase in submissions has led to a shortage of qualified reviewers, resulting in a decline in the quality of accepted papers [8]. Group 2: Implications for Research Quality - The increase in accepted papers does not guarantee high-quality research, as many accepted papers may lack substantial contributions [8]. - The job market for AI researchers is becoming increasingly competitive, with the demand for high-quality publications rising faster than the availability of quality positions [8]. Group 3: Company-Specific Insights - Li Auto's recent achievement of having multiple papers accepted at ICCV is used as a promotional tool to showcase its advancements in assisted driving technology [9]. - The original innovation level of Li Auto's VLA is compared to DeepSeek's MoE level, indicating that few Chinese companies can achieve such a high level of innovation [11][12]. - Li Auto's approach to autonomous driving has evolved from following Tesla to developing its unique systems, particularly in the integration of fast and slow systems in its VLM [12][13].

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the advancements and innovations in the VLA (Vision Language Architecture) and its comparison with DeepSeek's MoE (Mixture of Experts), highlighting the unique approaches and improvements in model architecture and training processes. Group 1: VLA and MoE Comparison - Both VLA and MoE have been previously proposed concepts but are now being fully realized in new domains with significant innovations and positive outcomes [2] - DeepSeek's MoE has improved upon traditional models by increasing the number of specialized experts and enhancing parameter utilization through Fine-Grained Expert Segmentation and Shared Expert Isolation [2] Group 2: Key Technical Challenges for VLA - The VLA needs to address six critical technical points, including the design and training processes, 3D spatial understanding, and real-time inference capabilities [4] - The design of the VLA base model requires a focus on sparsity to expand parameter capacity without significantly increasing inference load [6] Group 3: Model Training and Efficiency - The training process incorporates a significant amount of 3D data and driving-related information while reducing the proportion of historical data [7] - The model is designed to learn human thought processes, utilizing both fast and slow reasoning methods to balance parameter scale and real-time performance [8] Group 4: Diffusion and Trajectory Generation - Diffusion techniques are employed to decode action tokens into driving trajectories, enhancing the model's ability to predict complex traffic scenarios [9] - The use of an ODE sampler accelerates the diffusion generation process, allowing for stable trajectory generation in just 2-3 steps [11] Group 5: Reinforcement Learning and Model Training - The system aims to surpass human driving capabilities through reinforcement learning, addressing previous limitations related to training environments and information transfer [12] - The model has achieved end-to-end trainability, enhancing its ability to generate realistic 3D environments for training [12] Group 6: Positioning Against Competitors - The company is no longer seen as merely following Tesla in the autonomous driving space, especially since the introduction of V12, which marks a shift in its approach [13] - The VLM (Vision Language Model) consists of fast and slow systems, with the fast system being comparable to Tesla's capabilities, while the slow system represents a unique approach due to resource constraints [14] Group 7: Evolution of VLM to VLA - The development of VLM is viewed as a natural evolution towards VLA, indicating that the company is not just imitating competitors but innovating based on its own insights [15]