metaphysics

What Lin Yuan did at Lanbiao Factory was very simple: he just repeated what he had done at Good Group.

It was straightforward and simple, without any flowery descriptions.

Lanbiao Factory also had an internal research institute-like department, similar to Good Group, but because Lanbiao Factory was under Alibaba and its own scale had not reached Good Group's level. After all, Good Group did not start with food delivery; it had many other businesses.

Therefore, Lanbiao Factory's internal research institution was actually a derivative of Alibaba's internal research institution. It could be understood as a branch of Alibaba's DAMO Academy specifically researching the food delivery field.

So, this time, the people called by Lanbiao Factory to cooperate with Lin Yuan's work were from Alibaba's DAMO Academy.

Alibaba's DAMO Academy was extremely famous in the IT world. Especially in the past few years, in the era when Jack Ma had not yet lost his halo, it was simply the largest sect in the IT world. Although it has declined somewhat now, just like Alibaba—though its scale has decreased, it is still a large entity overall.

Simply put, the place Gu Xuan most wanted to go after graduation was DAMO Academy.

But at this moment, the senior researchers sent by DAMO Academy were asking Lin Yuan for guidance.

"Hello, Mr. Lin. We want to know, is Good Group's delivery algorithm really implemented through the publicly available Feng Shui AI concept?"

"We have searched all open-source materials and tried various models, but we just can't achieve the compatibility of Good Group's algorithm. We even went to Laojun Mountain to find Taoist masters and asked about Feng Shui matters.

But we really don't know how to model food delivery data using Feng Shui's Five Elements.

In short, the concept of Feng Shui AI is too vague."

"To be honest, if Musk hadn't strongly advocated for it, we wouldn't even have looked at it."

Lin Yuan was a bit curious, "Musk is strongly advocating for it?"

"Yes. You can pay attention to information on foreign websites. Musk said he would use Bagua symbols on the latest Falcon rocket."

Lin Yuan was a bit surprised, not expecting that guy Musk hadn't moved on yet. His own recent thoughts had been focused on home, so he indeed hadn't paid attention to information on foreign websites.

"You continue," Lin Yuan told the DAMO Academy engineers to continue expressing their views.

"Musk habitually pulls some stunts, and we originally thought this Feng Shui AI was another one he made up to fool people and cut leeks, so we originally approached it with a 'let's try it' attitude. But we didn't expect Good Group to suddenly announce that their algorithm was a product of the Feng Shui AI concept.

Everyone knows what happened next."

The researchers from DAMO Academy looked dejected, because what happened next was that Good Group, relying on its new delivery algorithm, achieved a fundamental theoretical transcendence over Lanbiao Factory.

Lanbiao Factory was about to be unable to even see the taillights of the other company.

"Mr. Lin, we have consulted many consulting companies and confirmed that you were in charge of the new delivery algorithm research at Good Group. Please tell us quickly."

Lin Yuan was a bit embarrassed. No wonder when he first came, Lanbiao Factory didn't ask him a single technical question.

Sure enough, Lanbiao Factory had already learned about him in advance through various means.

This also aligned with Lin Yuan's guess—those consulting companies indeed engaged in commercial intelligence gathering.

It made sense; otherwise, why would consulting companies make so much money? Business information and commercial intelligence were just a veil apart.

In the expectant eyes of the DAMO Academy researchers, Lin Yuan finally spoke, "Good Group's algorithm indeed uses the Feng Shui AI concept..."

Everyone's necks stretched even longer now.

"As for why you can't replicate their algorithm, I think it's because your integration of things like the I Ching, Five Elements, and Bagua isn't thorough enough..."

Lin Yuan activated his 'bluffing' mode.

The content he was speaking at the moment was entirely his improvisation. If he were to speak it again, he would find it very difficult to guarantee that the second time would be exactly the same as the first.

"In short, the key is integration.

Those who understand Feng Shui may not understand AI, and those who understand AI may not understand Feng Shui.

Only by combining the two can an effective and reasonable algorithm be constructed."

"So, Mr. Lin is the person who understands the combination of Feng Shui and AI the most?"

"Me?" Lin Yuan humbly said, "I really wouldn't dare claim that. To be honest, before the algorithm test yielded results, I myself didn't know if the algorithm would be useful."

Lin Yuan was speaking the absolute truth.

Because the Feng Shui AI concept was entirely created through the computing power system, Lin Yuan only assisted the system in completing data collection.

Before the algorithm completed testing, he also couldn't guarantee the algorithm's effectiveness. Because the algorithm's output process required multiple back-and-forths with the system.

Simply put, Lin Yuan actually didn't produce algorithms; he was just an algorithm porter.

He was the bridge between the computing power system and reality.

"Mr. Lin, is there no... incisive, principle-level summary?"

"You want the kind of summary that can condense dozens or hundreds of pages of papers into a single golden quote?"

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what we mean."

"Then no," Lin Yuan directly poured cold water on everyone. "You can understand it as: this is a craft. The principle is simple, it's all written in the I Ching. But it's also difficult, the ancients were very concise with words, writing too broadly, and there are too many angles of interpretation.

You can think of it this way: the combination of Feng Shui and AI is primarily a combination of craftsmanship, not a deep dive into principles."

"Craftsmanship, not principles?"

"Exactly. It's like an internal combustion engine; the principle is just that. Fuel combustion produces expanding gas, which drives the piston, and then it repeats. But we have been chasing in the engine field for how many years. It's roughly that meaning."

After listening to Lin Yuan's words, the researchers had even more question marks above their heads. Because this completely overturned their understanding of IT disciplines.

In fact, this indeed transcended the usual thinking mode of the IT field, because this was just Lin Yuan making it up.

If he didn't make it up like this, and actually tried to explain it at the principle level, what the heck would he explain?

Was Lin Yuan going to find a cutting machine and dissect the system in his head?

Fortunately, as AI has developed to this day, it has become increasingly mysterious, almost bordering on fortune-telling. Lin Yuan was just stepping on the gas pedal hard in this trend.

Finally, one researcher at the scene softly said, "Then isn't this just AI fortune-telling? It cannot be outlined with detailed mathematical formulas; it can only be summarized through a set of seemingly logical yet illogical principles. Isn't this just fortune-telling?"

"You are very right; I also think it's fortune-telling," Lin Yuan stepped on the gas pedal again.

However, some researchers disagreed, "I don't think so. If a problem cannot be answered for a while, then the direction must be wrong. Or our current technological level is not sufficient to solve the problem. But we should never attribute such problems to the realm of metaphysics."

Lin Yuan did not refute but listened with a Taoist attitude of non-action, letting them be.

Anyway, he didn't care. Lin Yuan wasn't here to argue with anyone or to prove anything.

He was here for two things: first, to get back at Good Group, and second, to make some money along the way.