Black technology: a super empire spanning two worlds

Chapter 387 [Annual Report Released]

With a series of positive policies being implemented in the humanoid robot industry, major domestic production companies have no worries. Several large production studios have decided to create virtual actor IPs, have their technical departments model virtual character images, and then find Likang Technology to customize the Flowing Star Language simulation robot.

Some large, well-established production companies plan to mass-produce highly realistic robot actors, with characters of all ages. Once the character models are built, they will seek advanced customization from Likang Technology.

The price is very flexible, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions, because it is high-end customization.

However, for large production companies, millions are acceptable and not considered expensive, since these are means of production and belong to the company.

The current sharp drop in production costs means that the cost of trial and error is much lower and the margin for error is much higher. As long as one or two of them become popular, the profits will be made.

Some production companies choose a more economical approach: instead of mass-producing robot actors, they create models and film scenes first, and then produce more once the virtual actors for the IP character become popular.

In addition to the hardware aspect, on the software aspect, these production companies have all connected to the AI ​​Xiaojing 3.0 open source model and deployed their own AI agents to hone acting skills.

Although AI Xiaojing's video generation tool can directly generate high-quality content, large production studios obviously want it all. They want the virtual robot actors and performers created by Liuguang Xingyu's simulation robot to also learn to act, which in itself can create a promotional gimmick that pretends to be real filming.

Moreover, in some scenes, actual filming might be more effective.

While AI Xiaojing's video generation tool is undeniably powerful, it may also have some flaws, and the actual shooting results would be better.

Many human actors and entertainers, though unwilling, realized that the tide of history was unstoppable. Some actors quietly began to transform themselves, choosing to embrace emerging technologies. In comparison, they still had an advantage over those outside the industry, since they were already in the industry and had certain resources.

Many actors have already established their own studios, using AI Xiaojing's video generation tools to produce their own films and become independent producers. They may well be able to successfully transition to this new technological trend.

It's worth mentioning that established actors and artists have a significant advantage: in modern times, they can make a living by "relying on their looks," an advantage that new actors don't have.

Currently, some production companies are approaching big-name actors to negotiate, asking them to authorize the use of their image rights for new projects. Simply put, this means having established actors play a role in a film.

The production company does this because it values ​​the current market appeal of these big-name actors; their "faces" are still valuable.

Clearly, established actors and artists can make money effortlessly in the coming years by licensing their images, even though they are aware that this is depleting their commercial value.

However, there are still many actors willing to overspend and monetize their talent. If they don't monetize their talent in the next few years, they won't have much commercial value even if they want to overspend in the future.

The production company isn't just looking at the last bit of commercial value these actors have left; they plan to use these already famous actors to "show their faces" and get their robot actors in a movie to act alongside them.

Clearly, another intention is to leverage the appeal of veteran actors to promote the robot actors they are trying to create.

To put it bluntly, this model is similar to some projects nowadays where the lead actors are young heartthrobs, and then a few veteran actors are brought in as supporting roles to promote the young heartthrobs.

Essentially, it's still the same approach, but the difference is that many young male celebrities are hopeless and prone to causing trouble, scandals, and even ruining their careers.

Robot actors are different. Acting skills become a technical issue. How well a robot actor portrays a character and perfectly presents the director's desired outcome is not a problem of poor acting skills, but a technical one.

Therefore, having veteran actors' portraits appear in a film attracts audiences and generates attention, making it easier to promote robot actors.

Many production companies are highly motivated in this regard because robot actors not only do not require high deviation payments, but are also assets of the production companies themselves. They can confidently invest resources in promoting them, without fearing that the robot will turn its back on them after becoming famous. The only concern is that the robot will not become famous.

...In the days that followed, Likang Technology was very busy. In addition to the continuous surge in orders for the personal consumer-grade Flowing Star Language Robot, orders from enterprise customers also came one after another.

By the end of the month, the number of orders for the personal consumer-grade Flowing Star Language simulation robot awaiting delivery had exceeded 5000 million, which is quite exaggerated and outrageous.

With the implementation of a series of effective policies, consumers no longer have any concerns and can place orders with greater confidence.

The consumer group for the personal version of the Starry Night lifelike robot is no longer limited to single people; even married couples are placing a large number of orders.

They placed the order with the intention of having the Liuguang Xingyu lifelike robot do housework, treating it as a domestic helper.

It completely frees people from the kitchen and tedious housework, instantly elevating their quality of life by several levels. The price, at most, doesn't exceed 2 yuan, posing no financial burden whatsoever. It's hard to think of a reason not to buy one; in fact, not buying one would give the impression of someone who's deliberately suffering without any effort.

Likang Technology is currently operating at near full capacity.

The city where the company is located mobilized its entire resources to help Likang Technology expand its production capacity, and any shortages were addressed immediately with a green light.

After all, the State Administration for Market Regulation has stated that it will provide a solid guarantee for Likang Technology to become a world-class enterprise and enhance its international competitiveness. This statement is undoubtedly valuable.

……

The date is Friday, March 14th.

Lingjing Technology Headquarters, Chairman's Office.

"The company's 2024 financial report is out." Yun Shu came to Xiao Yu's office and put the financial report on his desk: "In 2024, Lingjing Technology's total revenue was 21467.97 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 144.92%; net profit for the year was 8750.55 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 207.61%; and the company's cash reserves climbed to 1.72 trillion yuan."

Xiao Yu picked up the financial report and looked at it, focusing mainly on the performance in the fourth quarter.

The company raked in a whopping 9137.53 billion yuan in revenue in the fourth quarter, the highest single-quarter revenue of the year. It also had the highest net profit, reaching 4112.65 billion yuan, with a net profit margin of 45%. Its earning power is undeniable.

Lingjing Technology's revenue in the fourth quarter exceeded its total revenue for the entire year of 2023.

The company's revenue and profit both surged in the fourth quarter, with the core contributor being the Liuguang Xingyu simulation robot business, as Lingjing Technology, which provides the technology, took 70% of the product's net profit.

Moreover, all the operating costs are borne by Likang Technology, while Lingjing Technology is currently in a state of passive income, and almost all of it is pure profit, so it is not surprising that the overall profit margin is high.

In addition, the company's AI business segment is also gaining momentum, and the graphene battery business supplying new energy vehicles also exploded in the fourth quarter, resulting in a revenue of over 9000 billion yuan this quarter.

According to the annual report data, graphene integrated business is still Lingjing Technology's core business, accounting for 72.52% of revenue, which still accounts for the absolute majority.

The revenue share of graphene business has decreased significantly; it used to account for over 90% in the previous two years.

However, as time goes on, the proportion of this business will continue to decrease, because other business growth points of Lingjing Technology are gradually emerging. Business segments such as AI Xiaojing and Liuguang Xingyu simulation robots will see a major performance boom in 2025, and these business segments have very strong revenue growth expectations.

……

(End of this chapter)