Core Insights - The AI application market in China is undergoing significant changes, with "In-App AI" applications experiencing explosive user growth, reshaping the mobile internet ecosystem [1] Group 1: AI Application Types - The current AI applications in China are categorized into four main types: In-App AI applications, native AI apps from smartphone manufacturers, native apps from internet and AI tech companies, and PC web-based AI applications [2] Group 2: In-App AI Applications - In-App AI applications have seen a surge in active users, reaching 580 million in May, marking a year-on-year growth rate of 106.0%, making it the leading category among AI applications [5] - These applications are deeply integrated into major platforms like WeChat, Douyin, and Baidu, leveraging their vast user bases, with an average of 34.7 uses per user per month [5] - Major players like Douyin and Tencent have rapidly captured market share, with monthly active users of 200 million and 160 million, respectively [5] Group 3: Native AI Apps from Smartphone Manufacturers - Native AI applications from smartphone manufacturers are facing growth challenges, with 500 million monthly active users in May, reflecting a modest year-on-year growth of 9.5% [5] - Applications like Huawei's Xiaoyi and OPPO's Xiaobu Assistant, which previously thrived due to pre-installation advantages, are now experiencing user diversion due to competition from internet-native apps [5] - These applications are struggling with a lack of differentiated features and high levels of homogeneity, resulting in reduced user growth and engagement, with an average of 17.7 uses per user per month [5] Group 4: Internet and AI Tech Companies' Native Apps - Native apps from internet and AI tech companies show a stark polarization, with a total of 27 million monthly active users in May, driven by top applications like DeepSeek and Doubao, which have 16.8 million and 13 million users, respectively [6] - However, 83.8% of smaller AI applications have fewer than 1 million monthly active users, with many experiencing a decline in user numbers [6] - The PC web-based AI application sector also reflects this polarization, with a total of 19 million monthly active users [6] Group 5: Competitive Landscape - The AI application competition has entered an ecosystem-building phase, with major players optimizing the placement and form of AI plugins to attract more users [9] - Companies are leveraging their strengths to bind AI plugins, creating new competitive advantages, such as Tencent's focus on AI search and social interaction plugins, and Douyin's emphasis on AI search and image/video processing plugins [9] - This shift is not only squeezing the market share of native AI apps from smartphone manufacturers but is also changing traditional user behaviors in searching for news and processing images [9]