The comparison at Baidu World
In the opening speech at Baidu World 2026, held on November 12, founder Li Yanhong argued that embodied intelligence today is at a stage comparable to that of autonomous driving around 2016. The statement, reported by IT之家, is an assessment of technological maturity, not a product announcement: it indicates that embodied robotics would still be at an early stage of its trajectory, as autonomous driving was a decade ago.
Li also recalled that autonomous driving is a technical direction Baidu has pursued for more than ten years and that the company believes its position in the sector is among the leaders globally. He added that he considers autonomous driving an essential component of competition in artificial intelligence and that he is confident in the prospects of 萝卜快跑, Baidu's robotaxi service.
The robotaxi rental
On the application side, Li indicated that anyone who wants a 萝卜快跑 vehicle can now rent one, not just hail one. According to reports, 萝卜快跑 and the Shenzhou Zuche team have integrated traditional rental with driverless vehicles, creating an autonomous-car rental model that Baidu presents as the only one of its kind in the world and that has reportedly been operational for more than a year.
The practical consequence indicated is limited to the Hainan context: on the island it would be possible both to hail an autonomous vehicle and to rent one. The material does not specify fleet size, prices, contractual conditions, or exact areas of operation, elements that remain to be verified in order to assess the actual scope of the service.
What is confirmed and what is missing
The confirmed facts concern Li's statements at the conference and, according to the source, the existence of a robotaxi rental service with Shenzhou Zuche that has been active for more than a year. By contrast, the comparison between embodied intelligence and autonomous driving in 2016, Baidu's position among the global leaders, and the uniqueness of the rental model all remain statements that have not been independently verified.
The proposed comparison is above all rhetorical: it serves to place embodied robotics on a trajectory already followed by autonomous driving, but it does not provide technical or commercial indicators that would allow its validity to be measured. Further analysis would require data on tests, permits, and actual use of rented robotaxis in Hainan.
