Wang Xing of Meituan discusses the impact of AI on the company: the digitization of the physical world will be a crucial foundation for AI.

Sina Tech News, March 13 — At Meituan’s 2026 management communication meeting, CEO Wang Xing shared his views on AI development. Wang Xing mentioned, “The changes brought by AI will be much greater than those brought by the entire internet.” He also believes, “There is no fundamental difference between mobile internet and the internet; they are like roses and peonies. But compared to AI and the internet, it’s like the difference between monkeys and flowers—much larger in scale and impact.”

“Experience from ‘old experts’ may not always be effective. Young people’s various ‘strange’ ideas will continue to emerge. Facing the AI wave, the only thing we can do is actively embrace it,” Wang Xing said. “AI Agents have a greater impact on me than ChatGPT. We’ve experienced the shift from the internet to mobile internet, and it’s certain that the changes brought by AI will be much larger. It is destined to create enormous productivity and will definitely bring significant changes to organizations and work modes.”

Wang Xing believes that for Meituan, the digitalization of the physical world will be a very important foundation for AI. “Although large models are becoming smarter, we can imagine that even if Einstein were a secretary and asked him to book a restaurant, he still wouldn’t know if there are seats available. This is not an intelligence issue but an information issue.”

Public information shows that Meituan has launched multiple AI applications and self-developed large models. In 2025, Meituan announced it would increase investment in building real information infrastructure. Based on nationwide local life information infrastructure, Meituan also launched an AI search product called “Ask Little Tuan” during this year’s Spring Festival.