Since 2026, the narrative of "models swallowing applications" in the AI industry has persistently influenced the market, placing global software companies under pressure.

In a recent interview, Meitu CFO Yan Jinliang stated outright that one of the biggest misunderstandings investors have about Meitu is the belief that general-purpose AI models will devour everything, leaving no room for AI applications. He clearly indicated that this scenario does not hold true within the visual field.

Yan Jinliang argued that the broad-coverage nature of general-purpose models makes it unlikely they can satisfy all vertical sectors. The role of AI application companies, he explained, is to organize, adjust, and optimize workflows and establish standards for users in these specific industries. This is particularly relevant in the visual domain, where the subjective and personalized nature of aesthetic standards, combined with cultural and regional differences in taste, requires a high degree of controllability along the visual AI application chain.

To illustrate his point, Yan Jinliang gave an example: when it comes to understanding and outputting the concept of "handsomeness," a product serving the US market would need to differ significantly from one targeting the Asian market. Even within the Asian market, the imagery of "handsomeness" required by a fitness equipment seller would be completely different from that needed by a formal wear merchant. Meitu's strategy for these vertical areas involves a large team of designers who are deeply involved in every step of the model fine-tuning process, setting the direction for aesthetic standards in different vertical scenarios. Concurrently, user behavior creates a data flywheel; the editing, saving, and discarding of photos by users continuously helps Meitu optimize its feature design—granular preference data that external general models find very difficult to acquire.

It is noteworthy that Meitu is also integrating this methodology of productizing aesthetic judgment with new product forms. Yan Jinliang mentioned that Meitu's newly launched portrait Agent product, Picchi, is a current attempt at this. After users upload three to five sets of original and retouched photos, the Agent learns their retouching habits and techniques to create a dedicated model for them. Users can then directly call upon their own trained model to process photos that match their personal aesthetic. Corresponding to this new service, Picchi's business model has also extended from subscriptions to charging based on results.