Baidu, one of China’s Internet giants, announced it is going to set up a new department — the Smart Living Group — which will further extend its focus on artificial intelligence, The Paper reported.
SLG consists of DuerOS Business Uni, which is Baidu’s self-developed conversational AI system, as well as the Hardware Ecological Channel Department and Raven Studio.
Lu Qi, Baidu’s president and COO will serve as the general manager of the group.
Baidu said the integration means that the company will further its focus on its artificial intelligence strategy, and continue to extend in the area of smart hardware.
This represents another big structural adjustment after the company had integrated its business of self-driving, smart car and the internet of cars into the Intelligent Driving Group.
SLG and IDG will be the two major directions of Baidu’s commercialization of its AI technology. The former will focus on applying AI to daily household products, while the latter will promote the popularization of smart cars.