Dialogue with IDEA Zhang Lei: "If actions are not used as input conditions, it is not called a world model"
In the first half of 2026, financing in China's world model sector was approximately 30 billion yuan. Combined with the embodied AI sector exceeding 90 billion yuan, the year-on-year growth rate exceeded 5 times, with capital and talent accelerating into the field.
World models aim to enable AI systems to understand and predict the operating laws of the physical world, and are regarded as a key technical path towards artificial general intelligence (AGI) and embodied AI. This technology requires models to not only process static information but also dynamically simulate environmental changes.
In the first half of 2026, domestic world models and related integrated sectors attracted significant capital attention. The disclosed total financing expanded from 30 billion yuan to over 90 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth rate exceeding 5 times, showing strong expectations from the industry for this direction.
The rapid influx of capital and talent has also brought industry reflection. Practitioners and investors need to clarify the core definition of world models, define technical boundaries, avoid losing direction amidst the conceptual hype, and ensure that the technology can be truly applied in practice.
Zhang Lei from IDEA proposed the view that if actions are not used as input conditions, it is not called a world model, emphasizing the importance of interaction and physical laws. This technical perspective provides reference for industry development and helps guide resources towards research directions with more practical value.
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