DeepSeek is squeezing the bubble. Do Xiaodu and iFlytek’s learning machines still have a “technology premium”?

Written by: Internet Jianghu Liu Zhicheng

The craze for DeepSeek is still rolling.

Technology companies, car companies or new consumer companies have all announced access to the DeepSeekR1 model for a while. DeepSeek has become the current AI lesson.

The education industry is also actively embracing this outstanding learning.

Netease has a way of learning and thinking. Those who make software, content, and platform in the cloud school industry have announced that they will be connected to the DeepSeek model.

iFlytek also announced that it has connected to the DeepSeek-Math model and launched AI mathematics spark aid. Baidu Wen Xiaoyan (original Xinyiyan) also announced access to the DeepSeek-R1 model. On the small scale, although there is no official announcement yet, the big brother behind him has knelt, and it is only a matter of time before he connects.

Xiaodu and iFlytek are actually a little uncomfortable about connecting to DeepSeek. If you accept it, you will slap your own model in the face. If you don’t accept it, you will only watch as friends surpass you. Connecting to DeepSeek is the general trend, but also mixed with helplessness.

In the era of DeepSeek, how to go on the road of education track is a problem.

DeepSeek launches affirmative action in AI education

Faced with the wave-like impact of DeepSeek, Li Yanhong and Liu Qingfeng both understood the situation well. Since they couldn’t defeat them, join them. One more friend is always better than one more enemy.

However, embracing DeepSeek may be a double-edged sword.

For Xiaodu and iFlytek, the self-developed large model that they are proud of dropped overnight, which is quite sad.

The faster you embrace DeepSeek, the more it shows that you are not confident enough in technology. After spending so much money on self-development, you may still need to do enough superficial work in the end and then use DeepSeek’s open source technology to realize it.

It’s not embarrassing to make money.

However, on the education track, the more active DeepSeek is in embracing open source, the less exclusive it may be.

One school is to do technology, such as small-scale AI and iFlytek Learning Machine, which focuses on a big model technology label; the other school is content school, such as Xiaoape Learning to Practice Machines, Netease Youdao, etc.

After DeepSeek came, the advantages of pure AI schools were equalized.

Xiaodu launched the Wenxin Model Learning Z30, which sells for 6699 yuan, is not cheap. The price of iFlytek AI learning machine X1pro is 3999 yuan, and the price of T30Pro reaches 9999 yuan. You should know that the per capita disposable income of residents in 2024 will only be 34707 yuan. On average, it is less than half of the selling price of the Z30 model learning machine every month.

Xiaodu and iFlytek’s learning machine products are so expensive that AI teachers are a big selling point.

As long as you label yourself as an AI teacher and then endorse your own AI technology, the product will have a premium. After all, if you spend so much money on big models, you always need high profits to get your blood back.

However, no one expected that Xiaodu and iFlytek’s wishful thinking would be broken by DeepSeek.

DeepSeek is an open source technology, which means that Xiaodu and iFlytek can use it directly, saving a lot of research and development expenses. If DeepSeek is used in the future, the Xiaodu Z30 will still sell for more than 6000 yuan, and the iFlytek T30Pro will still sell for more than 9000 yuan. Isn’t this premium too high?

After all, DeepSeek is open source, and everyone has become second-hand dealers. Moreover, the training cost is even smaller than before. It is a bit inappropriate to package the brand based on DeepSeek’s model and sell it so expensive. It is better to directly reduce the price and give the benefits to parents. After all, the learning machine products sold on the market are still too expensive.

In addition to Baidu iFlytek, Netease Youdao, Learning and Thinking, and Cloud Xuetang have all connected to the open source DeepSeek. The so-called AI teachers are no longer the exclusive selling point of Xiaodu and iFlytek. On the contrary, it is the content faction that bridges the technical gap. It may have an advantage.

This is like when the three-body people were still trying to suppress the earthlings through technological advantages, the technological blockade against the earthlings failed, and then a wave of human technology exploded to bridge the entire technological gap.

DeepSeek is a wave of dimensional-reduction attacks on all large-scale education hardware manufacturers.

Whether it is small or iFlytek, no matter how big model technology schools promote AI teachers, it is actually of little significance. This is like equalizing horsepower in the new energy era and car companies are still promoting 000 acceleration. It is meaningless. This wave of AI technology equality allows the AI model to be taught without discrimination, and it is not impossible to replicate teaching students in accordance with their aptitude. I am afraid it will be difficult for the label of an AI teacher to occupy the user’s mind.

This means two things:

First: Technology-oriented manufacturers must explore new user interests.

From the perspective of the user side, buying Xiaodu and iFlytek learning machines is to gain a large model capability. Now that everyone has DeepSeek, what reason is there to buy Xiaodu and iFlytek? This issue deserves reflection.

Second: content-based manufacturers will have more obvious latecomer advantages.

On the contrary, latecomers such as Youdao, Xiaoyuan, Learning Ersi, and Yunxuetang may have the advantage of latecomer. The pattern of the AI education hardware track has greater variables.

It’s still the three-body idea. Imagine, when the three-body’s technical advantages are no longer, will humans with thousands of years of experience in strategizing turn attack the three-body ‘s dimensional reduction?

There was a debate about whether technology is important or content is important in the educational hardware track. Now that everyone has connected to DeepSeek, the competitive advantage of content-based educational hardware brands will be further highlighted.

Xiaodu and iFlytek do not have a strong content advantage to begin with. How to fight against their opponents next is quite critical.

The market logic of AI learning machines: emotional value> educational value

I have always believed that whether a child learns well cannot be determined by a learning machine or some other tool. I have two children myself, and I have never bought any products such as AI learning machines. It is really unnecessary.

Education is inherently an effect-oriented thing. Rather than spending a lot of money on a tablet computer analogue, it is better to hire a college student tutor.

To be honest, you and I both grew up as students, and we all have a personal understanding that learning violates nature. Children’s nature is to love to play.

Therefore, no matter how good a tool is, it is not as direct as the influence of a good teacher’s words and deeds, and it is not as effective as the subtle influence of the parents themselves.

Now that we all understand the truth, but why do we still have the urge to buy a small learning machine, iFlytek learning machine, and all kinds of dictionary pens?

The reason is actually four words: emotional value.

I have been following the intelligent education hardware industry for so many years, and one of the biggest things I feel is that almost all intelligent education hardware products on the market facing the C-terminal are satisfying the emotional value of parents.

From a psychological perspective, this emotional value is essentially a compensation mechanism.

For example, if you are too busy at work and have no time to care about your child’s studies, you can buy an AI learning machine and hire a big model teacher for your child. It seems to be concerned about children’s learning, but in essence it is to find a remedial measure that has no time to affect children’s learning.

It doesn’t matter whether this remedy has any effect. What matters is that thousands of dollars have been spent, which also makes up for the parents ‘own inner guilt.

This kind of compensation mechanism is very common. For example, during the Spring Festival, the business of middle-to-high-end middle-aged and elderly clothing in many counties is very popular. The reason is that children who have gone out to earn money in big cities return home and buy some expensive clothes for their parents to make up for their lack of companionship.

Whether it is AI learning or the middle-aged and elderly clothing business in the county, in a sense, they are all indulgences for the modern middle-class people.

From the perspective of educating children, learning machines that have emotional value to parents may not be good teachers in children’s learning life. On the contrary, a certain function that comes with the learning machine may become a bad teacher.

I still remember that a parent once broke the news online that some content that distorted history and violated mainstream values appeared in their children’s iFlytek learning machine. At that time, Liu Qingfeng, chairman of iFlytek, responded that the partner had launched the program without review during the trial. Relevant content and rectification were made.

Similar things have happened in Xiaodu.

In September last year, a user asked a certain children’s phone watch equipped with small-scale AI. Are China honest? rdquo; But he got the answer that China are the most dishonest and hypocritical people in the world. The watch staff said that the content came from a third-party small-scale App and was being investigated and rectified.

Optimistically, with the more mature access of DeepSeek, such problems may be better solved. However, when DeepSeek goes deeper into the field of education, the value of learning machine products does not seem to be so high.

On the one hand, the learning machine connected to DeepSeek has actually become a terminal entrance in itself, but now children spend much longer contacting the tablet than using the learning machine. From this point of view, the entry value of the learning machine is very easy to be replaced.

On the other hand, on the scene side, compared to smart devices such as tablets, although learning machines can be brought into schools, as schools gradually connect to DeepSeek in the future, it seems that there is no need. Schools may apply AI education technology more effectively.

Regarding large-scale model implementation education, my consistent view is that the real value of AI education is actually not at the C end, but at the B and G ends.

Using the Sky Eye APP to search for educational hardware and large high-tech enterprises, more than 300 companies were found. A considerable number of these companies are engaged in B-end and G-end businesses.

However, from the perspective of brand size and sound volume, on the contrary, Xiaodu, and iFlytek have more advantages.

The reason may be that, from the perspective of business logic, the AI education business on the B and G sides is far less profitable than the C side. When doing business, we pay attention to scale effects. The C-end electronic consumer track naturally has more market space than the B-end selling technical solutions.

Therefore, in terms of revenue and profit, C-end education hardware products have greater room for imagination.

The reason why there are so many advertisements for learning machines on the market is that manufacturers have enough advertising budgets. Not only do they invest in various websites, but offline elevator advertisements are also emerging one after another.

“Whether it is AI model teachers or AI tutors, the so-called education just needs a feeling is all anxiety created by advertising streaming.

What business makes the most money? Anxiety businesses make the most money, and emotions businesses make the most money.

If AI technology + education can stimulate the anxiety of parents, then it will be a business that will make no losses.

However, brands are brave enough to take the lead in AI. As parents, we still need to calm down. After all, the wave of DeepSeek has just begun, and the real grandeur of the education industry is still brewing.

What changes can DeepSeek bring to education?

Let the bullet fly for a while longer.