Pinterest CEO: Open-Source AI Can Cut Visual Search Costs by “Orders of Magnitude”

Pinterest CEO: Open-Source AI Can Cut Visual Search Costs by “Orders of Magnitude”
London, 6 November 2025
Pinterest [PINS −21.76%] CEO Bill Ready said on Tuesday that open-source AI models can deliver “orders of magnitude” lower costs compared to proprietary alternatives, while maintaining comparable performance in visual AI applications.
The statement highlights a growing industry shift as major platforms seek more efficient ways to power AI-driven creativity and commerce.
📊 Financial Snapshot
Pinterest reported third-quarter revenue of 1.049 billion USD, up 17 percent year-on-year, with monthly active users hitting a record 600 million.
However, earnings per share came in at 0.38 USD, below Wall Street’s estimate of 0.43 USD.
Shares fell more than 21 percent on Wednesday after the company forecasted fourth-quarter revenue between 1.31 and 1.34 billion USD, citing potential tariff impacts on home goods categories linked to President Donald Trump’s trade policy.
🧠 AI-Powered Shopping Vision
Ready reaffirmed Pinterest’s strategy to evolve from a discovery platform into an AI-driven shopping assistant.
The company’s new Pinterest Assistant feature combines conversational queries with visual search, allowing users to find, compare and shop for products in real time.
He added that the company plans to deploy open-source models for multiple use cases “at a fraction of the cost” of major proprietary providers, while retaining lightweight in-house models for personalisation and recommendations.
This approach allows Pinterest to integrate AI more broadly across its platform without incurring the high computational costs associated with closed commercial models.
🧩 FLASHOP Editorial Perspective
Pinterest’s announcement underscores a growing trend:
“AI’s future won’t be decided by who builds the biggest model, but by who uses it most efficiently.”
As companies balance innovation with profitability, the move toward open-source AI may define the next era of scalable intelligence.
For platforms like FLASHOP, it signals a pragmatic shift where accessibility, efficiency, and creative commerce converge into one intelligent ecosystem.