There are more than 4,400 artificial intelligence (AI) firms in China, with the industry's worth exceeding CNY500 billion, as AI has become an important driving force and strategic technology for a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, a report by the Chinese Institute of New Generation AI Development Strategies, released at the 2024 World Intelligence Expo in Tianjin, showed. Based on independent innovation, China has established AI technological systems, industry ecosystems and enterprise alliances in aspects including intelligent chips, large language models (LLM), operating systems and deep learning platforms. “Since 2022, the development of AI in China has entered the stage of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) that is led by LLMs, giving a strong boost to the whole economy,” Liu Gang, Chief Economist at the Institute, told the Global Times. AI has not only contributed to the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries but also boosted the development of emerging industries. The technology empowers China's manufacturing and helps improve the economic structure, contributing to the country's economic transition from an extensive development model to a compact development model.
The total scale of China's core AI industry reached CNY578.4 billion as of the end of 2023, up 13.9% year-on-year. Cities and provinces including Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu showed stronger competitiveness in the sector, according to the report. China has attached great importance to AI development in recent years to build itself into a major global AI innovation center. Technologies such as facial recognition, voice recognition, intelligent robots, virtual reality and driverless vehicles have been widely used in a variety of applications.
In autonomous driving, vehicles with AI technology can automatically choose the optimal route, maintain a proper speed and smoothly pass through complex road sections. In the medical sector, AI-enabled surgical robots can help increase the precision and accuracy of operations, which helps to reduce post-surgery pain and shorten hospital stays, the Global Times reports.
In a congratulatory message to the World Intelligence Expo 2024, which was held under the theme of “Intelligence: Extensive Development Space, Sustainable Growth Driver”, President Xi Jinping said that China stands ready to work with other countries to promote the healthy development of artificial intelligence, facilitate global growth and help improve the well-being of people from all countries. Xi said AI is an important force driving the latest round of the science and technology revolution and industrial transformation, and will have a far-reaching influence on the development of the global economy and society, as well as on the progress of human civilization.
