--- title: "Year-end review of AI applications: In-App plugins become the first choice for nearly 700 million people, with Weibo Zhiso leading the same level with a compound growth rate of 18.1%" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/277714275.md" description: "Recently, QuestMobile released the \"Core Report on the Development of AI Application Layer in 2025,\" which shows that in-app AI has become the user’s first choice, with nearly 700 million monthly active users. Among them, Weibo Zhiso leads similar applications with 66 million monthly active users and a compound growth rate of 18.1%. The report points out that AI competition has shifted from \"model involution\" to \"ecological expansion,\" with application plugins enhancing user experience in high-frequency scenarios such as social media and e-commerce, becoming the core force of AI applications" datetime: "2026-03-04T02:57:19.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/277714275.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/277714275.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/277714275.md) --- > Supported Languages: [简体中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/277714275.md) | [繁體中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/277714275.md) # Year-end review of AI applications: In-App plugins become the first choice for nearly 700 million people, with Weibo Zhiso leading the same level with a compound growth rate of 18.1% Recently, the authoritative domestic third-party data agency QuestMobile released the "Core Report on the Development of AI Application Layer in 2025." The report comprehensively reviewed the evolution of the Chinese AI application market over the past year, pointing out that against the backdrop of increasing homogenization of underlying technologies, the AI competition paradigm has fully shifted from "model involution" to "ecological expansion." It is noteworthy that compared to the independent native app track that has attracted significant external attention in the recent "Red Packet Showdown," the "In-App AI" form, dominated by leading internet platforms, is becoming the core force for carrying netizens' daily AI experiences due to its large user base and natural scene advantages. Among them, Weibo Zhiso is expected to have over 66 million active users by December 2025, with a compound growth rate of 18.1%. It ranks first in compound growth rate among the top 10 applications in the In-App AI category. ## Four Types of AI Applications Show Comprehensive Increase in Activity, In-App AI Market Approaching 700 Million QuestMobile data shows that as of December 2025, the activity of four types of AI applications has comprehensively increased. Among them, the user scale of "In-App AI" has reached 696 million, becoming the most widely accessed form of AI; while native apps maintain a strong compound growth rate. The differentiation in application forms reflects the industry's "multi-track" strategy in AI entry layout. The report points out that native apps are positioned by multiple platforms as the future "total entry" and "platform layer." In-App AI has become the optimal solution to solidify the "scene entry" and "function layer." It deeply integrates AI capabilities into high-frequency social, e-commerce, and information business flows, enhancing efficiency and retention in high-frequency applications. Data confirms the efficiency of the plugin form in cultivating user habits: by December 2025, the average monthly usage frequency of application plugins surged by 229.8% compared to January, far exceeding the 80.1% increase of native apps. This indicates that "conveniently calling AI" in familiar existing scenarios is becoming a high-frequency and stable user habit. ## AI Search Dominates the Track Breakthrough: Weibo Zhiso Monthly Active Users Exceed 66 Million, Leading Compound Growth Rate in the Same Tier Among all AI landing scenarios, "search" has been validated as the most mature and high-frequency entry point, and it will see intense competition in 2025. The report shows that among the "Top 10 Active User Scale In-App AI Plugins in December 2025," six applications belong to the AI search engine track Among them, Weibo Zhiso ranked 8th on the list with 66.35 million monthly active users. Even more impressive is its growth momentum: among the top 10 application plugins by active user scale in December, Weibo Zhiso's compound growth rate reached 18.1%, the highest growth rate, and its user scale ranking also achieved a leap of 15 positions, demonstrating an extremely strong breakout momentum among products of the same level. In this regard, the report pointed out that the high growth rate of AI Weibo Zhiso breaking through is enough to prove that even in mature tracks, finding the right niche still offers opportunities to break the original pattern and achieve ranking leaps. ## From Model Involution to Ecological Barriers, Plugin Construction as a Strategic Defense Wall The report pointed out that with the maturity of underlying technologies and increasing homogenization, the paradigm of AI competition will shift from "model involution" to "ecological expansion" by 2025. The key to corporate competition and commercial success will directly point to products, experiences, ecosystems, and user reach capabilities. Simply competing on technical parameters has lost its significance; the ability to grasp real industry data and user scenarios has become the decisive factor for the landing of AI applications. In this trend, an irreplaceable data ecosystem has become the key to creating differentiated growth advantages. Taking Weibo as an example, as the largest social media platform in China, Weibo aggregates a vast amount of real-time celebrity voices, frontline media information, and genuine user discussions (UGC). This dynamically updated "live water data" constitutes the core underlying barrier for Weibo Zhiso when processing hot topic tracing, opinion aggregation, and public opinion analysis. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the significance of the AI entry battle in terms of "strategic defense," which essentially revolves around the competition for the distribution rights of next-generation internet traffic and commercial monetization rights. Weibo has deeply embedded Zhiso into its content ecosystem, not only enhancing the efficiency of internet users in obtaining real information but also effectively strengthening its own traffic base. Overall, the reality of the industry has entered a deep-water zone in AI development. The differentiated development of native apps and application plugins confirms the path choices under different business genes. In the future, how to build high ecological barriers relying on native scenarios in the era of "technological equality" will be the core proposition determining the AI commercial value of various enterprises ### Related Stocks - [Global X Cloud Computing ETF (CLOU.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/CLOU.US.md) - [iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/SOXX.US.md) - [Franklin Exponential Data ETF (XDAT.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XDAT.US.md) - [State Street® SPDR® S&P® Smcndctr ETF (XSD.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/XSD.US.md) - [Invesco Semiconductors ETF (PSI.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/PSI.US.md) - [ProShares Big Data Refiners ETF (DAT.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/DAT.US.md) - [iShares Global Tech ETF (IXN.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IXN.US.md) - [WB-SW (09898.HK)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/09898.HK.md) - [Weibo Corporation (WB.US)](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/WB.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [CoreWeave Secures Investment-Grade AI Infrastructure Loan Facility](https://longbridge.com/en/news/281213272.md) - [Bureau Veritas To Offer AI Assessment To European Enterprises In Partnership With AWS](https://longbridge.com/en/news/281397262.md) - [Cotality Launches a Universal Connector for AI: Unveiling Its MCP Server and AI-Ready Property Intelligence](https://longbridge.com/en/news/281208250.md) - [Databricks Unveils $850 Million UK Investment To Fast-Track Data, AI Innovation](https://longbridge.com/en/news/281222731.md) - [Micro AI Sentry Guns May Be Next Layer Of Defense For Data Centers Against Kamikaze Drones](https://longbridge.com/en/news/281665716.md)