After the post bar incident, Li Yanhong made his debut, mainly talking about two major problems of China’s innovation.

[Song Changle/Editor of Titanium Media] Today, at the conference of "Future Forum New Centennial of Human Cognition", Li Yanhong made a keynote speech on "Technological Innovation and Model Innovation". When Li Yanhong came to power, the heart of Titanium Media Xiaobian was excited, because as Li Yanhong’s first public appearance after the Post Bar event, it is very possible to respond to the Post Bar event with this speech.

Judging from the on-site performance, although Li Yanhong took the stage as the first guest speaker, he looked a little tired and his voice was low. In response to the post bar incident, Li Yanhong only alluded to one sentence at the opening:

This week is a very special week for Baidu. Thanks to the concern of friends, we will reflect deeply, hoping to turn the crisis into an opportunity and let Baidu go further with you.

Followed by talking about China’s innovation, of course, I don’t forget to insert Baidu’s hard work from time to time. Li Yanhong said that there are many difficulties to overcome in innovation in China, and the two biggest difficulties are:

In enterprises in China, most of our working languages are still Chinese, which leads to a problem. If the best talents in the world come to China, it is actually very difficult for them to stay here comfortably and for a long time. Because he doesn’t speak the language.

Besides, English in Chinese is generally poor. In fact, people in non-Latin-speaking countries have weaknesses in this area. We have to spend much more time than others to learn what others are born with, which consumes a lot of our time.

In this regard, Li Yanhong said, for example, that outstanding talents from all over the world are willing to go to Silicon Valley if you let them go. He thinks that it is not only the center of global innovation, but also everyone speaks the same language and English. In China, we can’t do this.

For example, like Baidu, we have recruited many people with international backgrounds, such as returnees. When they first entered our company, when they communicated by email, they all wrote in English. After two months, I basically wrote Chinese. This environment is very strong in Chinese, and this culture is very China-like.

He said that the environment in which employees live still makes it difficult for everyone to produce such inclusiveness, and it is difficult to attract the best talents in the world to enter such a culture. Therefore, if we want to become a real innovation-led transition in China, we will face language barriers and cultural barriers.

However, Li Yanhong also mentioned that China has an advantage in innovation, that is, it has the opportunity to try first.

Li Yanhong mentioned that what Baidu is doing now is unmanned vehicles. On the one hand, it needs a lot of technology and innovation, and it takes a long time to invest and work hard, but at the same time, it is also such a thing that will change the existing pattern.

When it comes to driverless cars, he also admits that both Europe and the United States are facing legal, ethical and road disputes.

So how to make China a truly innovative country? Li Yanhong’s answer is: foster strengths and avoid weaknesses. On the one hand, we should make good use of China’s user market; on the other hand, we should make China’s language and cultural defects less obvious.

Li Yanhong finally mentioned that,We like being challenged by others very much. Even if we don’t know each other very well, we can speak frankly about the problems we see. The more we argue, the more progress we make, and the more likely we are to make innovations.

Good morning, everyone. I didn’t expect so many outstanding scientists and entrepreneurs to gather together today when I started to do the future forum a year ago, especially today’s meeting, which was completely full, with 2500 people signing up for the 800-person venue. It really aroused the interest of a lot of people. I’m the first to talk about it today.Everyone knows that this past week has been a very special week for Baidu. Thanks to the concern of friends, we will also reflect deeply, hoping to turn the crisis into an opportunity and let Baidu go further with you.

In fact, today’s forum is very related to the long-term. The theme of the forum is the new century of human cognition. On this occasion, everyone wants to open their minds and think about something longer-term, to discuss the future, to discuss the future of science, to discuss the future of technology, to discuss the future of the country, to discuss the future of the nation, and why so many people are so interested in this matter and long-term things now. I think there is actually a prerequisite, that is, the era we live in today is very different from that of a hundred years ago.

A hundred years ago, China was probably the weakest country in the world, although it was also a big country. Today, we should say that we are in a prosperous time. Only when you are in a prosperous time, will so many people have such a mood and such an ideal to do something long-term for our future generations and for mankind.

So today I want to talk about a topic that I have been thinking about for a long time. How can China’s innovation ability be further improved and how can China, not only a big country, but also an innovative country, have a strong position in the field of global innovation, even a leading position?

I’m thinking, in fact, we have many difficulties to overcome in order to do this. The two biggest difficulties are:

One is language.Language is that every one of us may have this experience, which means that when you are studying, whether in middle school or college, you spend a lot of time learning English. When I was in college, I probably spent about one-third of my time studying English, taking TOEFL and GRE. When I was studying, I was thinking that the world is too unfair. Americans don’t have to learn English, and I don’t have to spend so much time learning a language when I was in college. But we in Chinese, people from non-English-speaking countries, especially non-Latin-speaking countries, all have weaknesses in this respect. We have to spend much more time than others to learn what others are born with, which consumes a lot of our time.

Related to this is culture. Up to today, most of our working languages in enterprises in China are still Chinese, which leads to a problem. If the world’s best talents come to China, it is actually very difficult for them to stay here comfortably and for a long time. Because he doesn’t speak the language.
Our culture in China.

Actually, the second obstacle I mentioned is that our China culture is not so inclusive at present.China is not an immigrant country. Of course, in the past, our population may be too large and controlled, but generally speaking, outstanding talents from all over the world are willing to let him go to Silicon Valley. He thinks that it is not only the center of global innovation, but also everyone speaks the same language and English. In China, we can’t do this.

In fact, it’s not that we haven’t tried. For example, Baidu has recruited many people with international backgrounds, such as returnees. When they first entered our company, they all wrote in English when they communicated by email. After two months, I basically wrote Chinese. This environment is very strong in Chinese, and this culture is very China-like.

Not only enterprises in China, in fact, I know a Japanese enterprise, the largest e-commerce company in Japan, called Lotte. His founder made a similar observation, so he forced all employees of Lotte to use English as their working language. However, I see that the effect is not particularly obvious. His whole culture and the environment in which his employees live still make it difficult for everyone to have this kind of inclusiveness, and it is difficult to attract the best talents in the world to enter such a culture. This is what I see. If we want to become a real innovation and lead the transition, China will face language and cultural obstacles.

At the same time, I also see that we have an advantage in innovation. There are some things that others don’t have, especially in the past 40 years of reform and opening up. I think the reason why China has been able to have such a long and sustained high-speed economic growth is very related to the concept, that is, to try first. Before many things were thought out clearly, our environment and our problem allowed you to try and try and make mistakes, which led to many things being done quickly in China, a building being built quickly, and the high-speed rail being the best and most developed railway transportation system in the world.

Specific to what we are doing now, for example, what Baidu is doing now is unmanned vehicles. On the one hand, it needs a lot of technology and innovation, and it takes a long time to invest and work, but at the same time, it will also change the existing pattern. So we see that there are companies in the United States and companies in Europe are doing this unmanned vehicle.

But we have seen that in these countries, especially in the United States, there are not only technical differences, but also disputes on the road, and there are also many disputes in law and ethics.For example, a question that many people are asking is that when an unmanned vehicle needs to make a choice, walking to the left and killing a child and walking to the right and killing an old man, how do you choose and who is responsible for the result? In our opinion, this argument is of little significance. Even a person can’t make a good judgment. Now we need an unmanned vehicle technology that is still in a very early stage and very infancy to make such a judgment. The requirements for it are too high.

I believe that there will not be so many such requirements in China, which will enable many innovations to have more opportunities for trial and error in China, and we may be at the forefront of innovation in the world.

Therefore, I think China has an advantage in trying first, which is of great value to innovation. Of course, we also have an advantage that the whole world does not have. It is the huge market in China. There are more than 700 million Internet users in China, and our population of more than one billion may be the largest single market in the world. If the population is long ago, it is almost any field, our Internet field and even other traditional industries. When we look at this head, this market is the largest market.

With the largest market, you have many opportunities to try, try and make mistakes and innovate. We have encountered problems that have not been encountered elsewhere. So we should have the opportunity to think first and find a solution first. The generation of solutions is actually the process of innovation.

Therefore, I think that the concept of trying first in the huge market will be two very, very important advantages for China to innovate in the future.

Then, in order to make China a truly innovative country, we shouldOn the one hand, we should develop our strengths and give full play to our advantages in these areas; on the other hand, we should avoid our weaknesses, or make up for our shortcomings in language and culture, so as to make them less obvious.

In fact, I know that there is a project called Yanjing School in Peking University, which is to attract students from all over the world to study in China and Peking University. After graduating from university, they will come here to study for a master’s degree. This major is called China Studies. In fact, it is what they come here to study. I don’t think it is the most critical thing. The most important thing is to say that all the tuition fees are included. In this way, we can attract outstanding talents from all over the world to come to China to get in touch with China’s culture, Chinese and our language when they are very young.

In this way, these people will be given some opportunities to contact if they can make something good in China when they want to enter the field of work. Therefore, in the future, perhaps we entrepreneurs should give more aid to these good universities, so that they can provide good scholarships to foreigners and people from all over the world to study in China. In this way, they will be educated in China, understand the language and culture of China, and have more opportunities to do things here in the future. This is the first thing I think can be made up for.

The second one is actually related to the awards that we will release this afternoon. We will make some scientific awards to reward those innovations made in China and scientific innovations. In this case, I think all kinds of talents will be attracted, which will make everyone feel that being a Science has face, respect and a future. We can do all these things.

Of course, at the cultural level and the language level, we still have a lot to try and imagine. Every entrepreneur here should consider such a problem. Maybe one day China will become such a language, and it may become a much more open culture than it is now. People from all fields and nationalities in the world are willing to come to China and do what they want to do here, so this is what we can do.

What we can do is the so-called cross-border. Today, these people really represent many different fields. People from these different fields communicate and collide together, which also plays a very important role in promoting innovation.

In the past year, the Future Forum held a lot of lectures and closed-door seminars on understanding the future. I also participated in one or two of them. I think it is very good that people from different fields can get together and communicate and argue openly. We like being challenged by others very much. Even if we are not very familiar with each other, we can speak frankly about the problems we see. The more we argue, the more progress we make, and the more likely we are to make innovations.

Therefore, I also hope that today’s future annual meeting will not only bring together outstanding scientists, entrepreneurs and talents in different fields, but more importantly, when we get together, such communication will generate more and more innovations, which will enable China to gradually become a country leading global innovation. Thank you.