Since the beginning of this year, the Chinese government has introduced various policy measures aimed at boosting and regulating the artificial intelligence (AI) sector.
In January, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, along with six other ministries and agencies, released a guideline emphasizing the need to develop future industries. These future industries are defined as new sectors integrating advanced technologies like the metaverse, humanoid robots, brain-computer interfaces, and quantum information. The guideline stressed the importance of applying AI and advanced computing to precisely identify and cultivate these industries with significant potential, promoting new industrialization.
The Ministry of Education, in March, initiated a nationwide AI Empowerment campaign. This campaign aims to enhance the AI knowledge and skills of teachers and students, promote the use of AI-powered educational systems, develop specialized AI models for teaching and learning, and advocate for the legal and ethical use of AI.
On July 2, new guidelines were jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and three other government bodies. These guidelines outlined seven key areas for developing an AI standard system in China. The areas include standards for key technologies, intelligent products and services, and industry applications. By 2026, China plans to formulate over 50 national and industrial standards for AI, creating a comprehensive standard system to guide the high-quality development of the sector.
Wei Kai, head of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute under the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, highlighted the necessity of addressing various issues in the industrial implementation of large AI models. These issues include data governance, platform construction, and computing power layout, all of which are essential for the sustainable development of AI.
China’s AI industry has seen notable progress in technological innovation, product creation, industry applications, and other areas in recent years. The sector has exhibited new characteristics with the accelerated development of technologies like large models. Currently, China is home to over 4,500 AI companies, and its core AI industry reached a scale of over 578 billion yuan (approximately 81 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, marking a 13.9 percent year-on-year increase, according to official data.
In this year’s government work report, China introduced the AI Plus initiative. This strategic move is designed to drive the expansion of the digital economy and spearhead the transformation and modernization of the manufacturing sectors.
