"The new formula: artificial intelligence + inflatable doll = girlfriend."
"Artificial Intelligence + missiles? Wouldn't that make war even more terrifying? If AI gains consciousness and turns on humans, we're toast."
"The Marching Ant Company wants to spread AI into every corner of the world, and then take control in one fell swoop."
"Humanity just took another step toward destruction."
...
The launch of the "Artificial Intelligence+" project caused a major stir. On live broadcast platforms, bullet chats and comments were filled with both excitement and concern.
While ordinary viewers were having fun speculating, industry insiders and entrepreneurs at the summit had mixed reactions. Some frowned; others smiled.
This was a strategic-level announcement—something only comparable to when the company released its holographic phones. And it opened massive possibilities for collaboration.
For many companies, this was a huge opportunity. Partnering with the Marching Ant Company on the "AI+" platform could be game-changing.
At the moment of the project's unveiling, numerous business owners had already begun thinking of ways to connect and collaborate with the company.
But for those already in the AI field, it felt more like a threat than an opportunity.
Twenty minutes later, Lin Shu stepped off the stage to a round of applause. Sitting nearby, Musk, wearing translation headphones, leaned over to Chen Mo and spoke softly.
"Mr. Chen, are you interested in a collaboration?"
Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. It was a little surprising that Musk would initiate the conversation.
"What kind of collaboration?" he asked.
"Autonomous driving," Musk replied. "Are you interested in investing in Tesla? I'm currently planning to take the company private, buying back stocks for delisting. If you're interested, you could acquire shares. With your company's technology and Tesla's global reach, I believe the results could be extraordinary."
Tesla had been operating at a loss for consecutive years. If the financial situation didn't turn around soon, the company would face serious challenges. Musk hoped to create a better operating environment through privatization.
Now that the Marching Ant Company had unveiled its smart core, it clearly had the potential to reshape the self-driving sector.
Tesla's current standing wasn't strong. Faraday was backed by Xu's real estate investments and was expanding in Huaxia. That pressure was mounting. Musk felt the heat.
If the Marching Ant Company partnered with another automaker, Tesla might be in real trouble—especially as it was building a factory in China. That made this an urgent matter for him.
Partnering with Marching Ant or securing an investment could be Tesla's best shot at long-term survival.
"What valuation are you giving your company?" Chen Mo asked.
"$80 billion," Musk answered without hesitation.
"You're not serious, right?" Chen Mo shook his head. "Your company's current operations aren't great, and you're losing money every year. That valuation is far too high."
"The losses are only temporary. Once the M3 production line is running smoothly, we'll turn a profit," Musk said, sighing slightly. "But to keep the stock stable, we need strong revenue figures. That affects our operations and management. I admire how Marching Ant isn't a public company."
Musk's tone held a trace of frustration.
As a listed company, Tesla had to answer to shareholders who cared only about fast returns. That made it difficult to run things with long-term vision—unlike Marching Ant, which didn't have those constraints. It was part of why Musk was so eager to delist.
But Chen Mo still shook his head.
Their company had already started working on autonomous electric vehicles. The progress was steady but hadn't been made public. Zhao Min was overseeing that project, and it would be announced when ready.
Tesla wasn't essential to their plan.
If the price was right, Chen Mo might invest. But at an $80 billion valuation? Not worth it. That kind of money could fund major upcoming initiatives—like their nuclear fusion research. He had no plans to burn billions with no clear return.
"Well," Musk shifted, "if you're not ready to invest, there's another option—perhaps a technology partnership. What if you license us your smart core source code? We could negotiate a licensing fee."
He gestured toward Lin Shu, who had just finished presenting.
Tesla's self-driving tech was already a global leader, but it wasn't perfect. Bugs and limitations still plagued the system. If they could integrate Marching Ant's AI core into Tesla's onboard systems, it could be a game-changer.
"You'll need to talk to Zhao Min," Chen Mo replied calmly. "She's in charge of that project. If she's open to licensing, I have no objections."
He passed the responsibility to Zhao Min without hesitation.
Smart code was Marching Ant's core technology. They'd never licensed it to outsiders before, and likely never would. But it wouldn't be polite to reject Musk outright here, so he diplomatically kicked the ball over to Zhao Min—who understood the significance of that source code far better than anyone else.
"If Zhao Min isn't willing to license the source code," Chen Mo added, "there's still another way to cooperate. The 'AI+' platform is open. While the smart core is closed, we've made certain APIs and permissions available. You could still integrate your systems with our AI core to create your own intelligent applications. As for licensing fees—again, Zhao Min is the one to talk to."
Chen Mo understood that owning core technologies was the heart of a tech company's success.
For many years, China had produced hardware while paying licensing fees to foreign firms for core technology. Most of the profit went abroad, while domestic companies did all the legwork.
Now the tables had turned.
And Chen Mo was more than happy to make others pay for licenses this time.
"Understood," Musk said with a nod. "I'll speak with President Zhao when I get the chance."
Though slightly disappointed, he didn't show it.
The World Artificial Intelligence Conference continued. The next few presentations were by various global tech giants, showcasing their own products.
Chen Mo watched them with casual interest. Nothing shown so far really impressed him.
Eventually, the final presentation ended—and anticipation rippled through the crowd.
Everyone knew what was coming: the grand finale of the summit forum—the "Peak Q&A" segment.
It had been revealed ahead of time that Chen Mo would appear during this session. Usually, he kept a low profile and rarely participated in public forums—those were typically handled by Zhao Min.
But today, he had come personally. This was a rare chance to see the legend himself in action.
Adding to the excitement, the host of the "Peak Q&A" wasn't a person—but an intelligent robot developed by the Huaxia Academy of Engineering.
In a venue dedicated to AI, this was the perfect setting to showcase China's state-backed advancements. While Marching Ant was the clear private-sector leader, the Academy's robot still carried immense symbolic weight.
Everyone was eager to see what it could do.
Finally, the host announced the segment.
"Now begins the most unique part of this year's Artificial Intelligence Summit Forum—'Peak Q&A.' This year, we've invited two very special participants:
"One is Mr. Chen Mo, founder and chairman of the Marching Ant Company. He is a trailblazer in the field of artificial intelligence and the inventor of the modern seismograph.
"The other is the host of this session—a fully autonomous intelligent robot developed by the Huaxia Academy of Engineering: Xia Wei.
"Now, please welcome—Xia Wei!"