Currently, AI is profoundly influencing and transforming various industries, with internet players experiencing particularly significant and far-reaching changes. As a product of the internet era, fintech is also deeply impacted by AI, ushering in a brand-new era of development. This is evident in the application of AI recognition and the implementation of AI digital humans in fintech.

If we consider the financial evolution during the internet era as the genesis of fintech, then the advent of the AI era signifies the beginning of a genuine transformational era for fintech. In this new era, only those players who can catalyze genuine change in fintech's development will remain relevant. Conversely, those who view the new evolution of fintech in AI merely as a concept or gimmick, without fostering fundamental change, will inevitably be left behind.

From this perspective, recognizing the new paradigms governing fintech's evolution in the AI era and identifying new opportunities is crucial for players to capture new developmental dividends. Conversely, viewing fintech solely as a concept without fostering real change will lead to these players being eliminated by the tide of the AI era.

AI Truly Enables Deep Integration of "Finance" and "Technology"

Fintech emerged during the mobile internet era, with both leading internet players and traditional financial players positioning themselves as true practitioners of fintech. However, internet players tend to view fintech more as a "technology" category, whereas traditional financial players see it more as a "finance" category. Ultimately, one of the key reasons for fintech's dilemma is the lack of true integration between "finance" and "technology".

The reason for this lack of deep integration lies in the fact that the internet, as the representative "technology" of that era, could only bring superficial and backend changes to the financial industry, not fundamental or deep-level transformations. The many so-called new financial entities that emerged during the internet era only altered the means and channels through which finance and users connected, without truly transforming the financial industry itself or enabling deep integration of "finance" and "technology".

Therefore, to achieve deep integration of "finance" and "technology," the key lies in finding a technological breakthrough that can establish a new relationship with "finance," thereby enabling deep integration of the two elements.

With the gradual maturation of AI, particularly its increasing implementation across various processes, links, and scenarios in the financial industry, the integration between "finance" and "technology" is no longer superficial or limited to the backend. Instead, it has become pervasive, affecting every process, link, and element of the financial industry. At this juncture, "technology" is no longer independent but truly integrated into the elements of "finance." It is precisely because "technology" has seamlessly integrated into the "finance" industry that fintech has ushered in a genuinely new evolution, with AI playing an indispensable role in this process.

AI Enables Fintech to Truly Return to Reality

In both the traditional and internet finance eras, finance could only maximize its functions and roles by returning to reality, empowering entities, and supporting the development of the real economy. Reviewing the history of finance, it becomes evident that only those financial players that truly returned to reality, empowered entities, and supported the real economy achieved significant growth.

One of the key reasons for the numerous irregularities and challenges in the internet finance era was that finance did not genuinely empower or support the real economy but rather became a means for players to acquire and monetize traffic. Clearly, developing fintech in such a manner cannot maximize its potential and will inevitably lead to a dead end.

With the advent of the AI era, particularly as AI begins to profoundly influence and transform fintech, it becomes feasible for fintech to return to reality, empower entities, and support the real economy. The crucial role played by AI in this transformation is undeniable.

The fundamental reason for AI's significant impact is that it serves as a common expression of finance and the real economy, creating an intersection between them. Under the mechanism of AI, finance and the real economy are no longer separate entities but can be perfectly integrated, establishing comprehensive and deep connections. Against this backdrop, the return of finance to the real economy, empowering entities, and supporting its development are no longer just dreams but realizable realities.

The increasingly prominent roles played by digital finance, inclusive finance, and smart finance in the real economy are testament to the fact that fintech is beginning to return to reality and achieve full-chain integration with the real economy.

AI Truly Enables a New Evolution in Finance

AI's immense appeal and widespread adoption are attributed to its ability to catalyze new evolutions in industry development, enabling players to discover new developmental dividends. This is evident in the embrace of AI by internet giants like Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu, and their subsequent transformations.

From Alibaba's perspective, when it began fully embracing AI, it bid farewell to past challenges and ushered in new development, evident in both its business system upgrade and capital market performance. Tencent, too, has achieved "old trees sprouting new leaves" by applying AI to many of its ecosystem's products and services, making AI a catalyst for continuous self-activation. Similarly, Baidu's pioneering release of the ERNIE Bot large model, its application of AI in unmanned driving scenarios, and its implementation through Luobo Kuaipao are all manifestations of Baidu's departure from its past.

While AI brings new evolution to internet players, it also fosters a new evolution in finance. From the intrinsic elements of finance, new elements such as digital humans and risk control large models are becoming the raw materials that define finance. From operational processes, intelligence- and digitization-driven models are gaining traction. From functional attributes, digital-physical and virtual-real integration-led development models are emerging as new trends.

Reviewing past financial evolutions, it becomes clear that under AI's catalysis, finance is no longer the finance we once knew. It is no longer a means of acquiring traffic in the internet era or an entity independent of the industry. Instead, it has evolved into a new paradigm for realizing virtual-real and digital-physical integration. In this process, new entities represented by smart finance and intelligent finance will continue to emerge, unleashing new energy.

Final Thoughts

A transformative shift is underway in fintech, fueled by the deep integration of AI and the profound changes it brings. For players aspiring to make a mark in the fintech era, truly grasping the new dividends of the AI era and leveraging AI to propel fintech's development can usher in a new stage of evolution. If AI is merely viewed as another internet-like entity without fostering transformation in fintech, then the development of fintech in the AI era will inevitably follow the same path as the internet era. Finding new ways to combine AI and fintech and unleashing greater energy from fintech to better serve reality, empower entities, and support their development can truly propel the industry into a new era.