2025 In-depth Report on AIGC Going Global: Status, Drivers, Challenges and Recommendations

Current Status

In 2025, Chinese AIGC (AI Generated Content) companies are accelerating their global expansion. Application scenarios cover text generation (e.g., marketing copy, customer service responses), image generation (e.g., design materials, advertising visuals), video generation (e.g., short videos, virtual anchors), and audio generation (e.g., voice synthesis, music creation). Representative products include ByteDance's Doubao, Baidu's Ernie Bot, and Alibaba's Tongyi Qianwen. These companies have gained initial market share in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, while exploring opportunities in Europe and the US. According to industry estimates, in Q1 2025, the total overseas revenue from Chinese AIGC reached approximately $800 million, up 120% year-on-year.

Driving Factors

• Technological Maturity: Large language model capabilities continue to improve, with Chinese context understanding and multilingual generation approaching international first-tier levels, while costs gradually decline.
• Strong Overseas Demand: Global enterprise digital transformation accelerates, driving a surge in demand for efficient content production tools, especially in e-commerce, gaming, and social media.
• Policy Tailwinds: China encourages digital trade and AI technology exports, and some target markets (e.g., Southeast Asia) offer tax incentives and startup support.
• Capital Push: From 2024 to 2025, several AIGC startups secured tens of millions of dollars in funding for overseas expansion.

Challenges

• Data Compliance and Privacy: Strict regulations such as EU GDPR and US CCPA require localized processing of training data, and model outputs must align with local values; non-compliance costs are high.
• Cultural Differences: Content production must adapt to local language habits and aesthetic preferences (e.g., color taboos in the Middle East, Islamic culture); directly copying domestic models can lead to user aversion.
• Intense Competition: Overseas native AIGC companies (e.g., OpenAI, Midjourney) have strong brand recognition, while tech giants like Microsoft and Google are accelerating their moves. Chinese brands need differentiated strategies.
• Talent Shortage: There is a scarcity of professionals who understand both AI technology and overseas markets.

Recommendations

• Localization First: Build local teams, partner with local institutions to optimize model outputs; develop customized templates and styles for key markets.
• Compliance First: Invest in legal and technical resources to establish data security systems and obtain necessary certifications (e.g., ISO 27001).
• Ecosystem Cooperation: Partner with international cloud service providers and channel partners to reduce deployment costs and quickly reach enterprise customers.
• Focus on Niche Scenarios: Avoid red-sea competition in general-purpose large models; target verticals such as e-commerce content generation, educational assistance, and game NPC dialogue.
• Brand Building and Community Operations: Offer open APIs, free trials, and host developer competitions to increase overseas developer ecosystem activity.