Xiaohongshu's Second Great Voyage, This Time Sailing Towards AI
Xiaohongshu's Second Voyage: Navigating Towards AI
Since ChatGPT's emergence, Xiaohongshu's founder Mao Wenchao has been acutely aware of AI's potential threat, recognizing that the life advice people seek from chatbots overlaps directly with his platform's core business. Founded in 2013 as a PDF shopping guide for Chinese tourists, Xiaohongshu evolved into a massive community where millions share authentic, personal experiences—from product reviews to travel tips. This vast repository of "I've tried this" human judgment became its most valuable asset.
However, the rise of AI, which delivers instant answers, challenges the very need for users to sift through numerous personal notes. Fearing its treasure trove of lived experience could become mere training data for others, Xiaohongshu is proactively adapting. In 2026, it established a dedicated AI division (Dots), launched RED Skill to turn user experiences into usable AI tools, and acquired the AI search product "Diandian." Its investments now extend to AI firms like MiniMax and hardware startups, moving upstream to address needs before they even become search queries.
The platform's commercialization strategy is also evolving. With a newly acquired payment license and tools like the AIPS model to track consumer decision journeys, Xiaohongshu aims to seamlessly integrate recommendations with transactions, embedding commerce within AI-generated answers.
Yet, a critical tension remains. While building smarter machines to organize and leverage its human experiences, Xiaohongshu must prevent AI from drowning out the authentic, flawed, and trustworthy "I've tried this" voices that built its community. Its core challenge is to harness AI's power without letting the map—the machine's perfect, synthesized answer—replace the territory of genuine human experience. This balance between technological advancement and preserving human trust defines its current journey and its future.
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