Orient Securities has released a research report expressing a long-term bullish outlook on the commercial deployment and industry evolution opportunities of Work Agents within the LLM sector. The core thesis is driven by a two-pronged dynamic: the upgrade of foundational model capabilities and the deepening of vertical scenario engineering. Leading model developers are now focusing on vertical use cases, helping Work Agents complete the cycle from technical prototype to industrial implementation. The current competitive landscape has moved beyond superficial parameter comparisons in general-purpose models, shifting toward refined competition in vertical task definition, accumulation of real-world workflow data, and the construction of proprietary reward feedback mechanisms.
On September 2nd, Workbuddy launched its open platform, "open.workbuddy.cn," making its underlying Agent capabilities available to three categories of users: smart hardware, industry applications, and developers. Ecosystem partners can self-integrate, with the initial wave of partners exceeding 100.
Where the competitive edge is forming
The hardware ecosystem now supports over ten categories and more than 30 brands, including smart glasses, recording cards, microphones, headphones, desktop companion devices, and keyboards/mice. This setup allows for cross-device synchronization under a single account, with nine co-branded hardware products launched at debut, such as the Plaud recording card, Rokid glasses, Insta360 audio kits, Ulanzu keyboards, iFLYTEK headphones, Anker desktop companions, MAMEN microphones, and Jingzào recording cards. The report suggests that more hardware entry points translate into richer service scenarios and serve as a guarantee for more diverse data and information input.
The introduction of the "Buddy Application" gateway allows industry partners to contribute vertical know-how, while Workbuddy supplies the Agent infrastructure. Solving real-world tasks requires not just Agent capabilities but also deep, industry-specific experience accumulated over time. Buddy applications are Agent-native tools built by industry partners on WorkBuddy's Agent framework to address actual tasks. Currently, over 20 fields (including finance, SaaS, legal, and healthcare) and more than 30 partners (such as Tongdaxin, GF Securities, Tencent Health, PKULaw, and Weimob) are collaborating with WorkBuddy on industry applications.
On the developer side, three core capabilities have been opened: Skills, Experts, and Connectors. Developers can integrate with Workbuddy via standard protocols. The Expert marketplace offers both Agent-type and Team-type models, while Connectors support both MCP and CLI solutions. Over 100 partners are currently co-creating on the platform.
Why the shift matters
The report argues that competition in the Work Agent space has evolved from pure Agent capability (model plus harness) to full ecosystem rivalry. Full-scenario information input via multi-device hardware, injection of more vertical industry know-how, and broader developer participation are likely to significantly enhance real-world task performance. This also raises the stickiness of the platform for industry partners, and user interaction data from diverse vertical scenarios can, in turn, feed back into model training.
Key risks to monitor
Risks include slower-than-expected AI technology iteration, weaker-than-anticipated AI application deployment, and disappointing AI commercialization progress.