AI evolution promoted as key driver of productivity

Rapidly evolving artificial intelligence technologies are being applied to a wider range of sectors and have become a vital force bolstering China's economic development, as the country recognizes AI as an essential tool in fostering new quality productive forces and activating new growth drivers, entrepreneurs and experts said on Thursday.

China is at the forefront of AI application globally, which is not only playing a pivotal role in boosting its productivity, but is also driving the transformation and upgrading of its traditional industries, they said.

The entrepreneurs and experts made the remarks during the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos, which was held in Tianjin from Tuesday to Thursday.

Artificial intelligence, which is already reshaping the industrial landscape, is expected to be the biggest technological revolution in the next 50 years, said Zhou Yunjie, chairman and CEO of Chinese home appliance giant Haier Group.

"Currently, the deployment of AI in enterprises mainly concentrates on manufacturing, research and development, sales, procurement and services," he said.

Every industry will integrate with AI, and any enterprise that does not embrace AI will eventually be weeded out, Zhou said, adding that his company has invested heavily in developing large language models and is promoting the adoption of AI across various fields, such as household appliances and industrial internet.

Zhu Min, former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said that China will make significant progress in the use of AI technologies in the next 18 months to two years, highlighting that the country's vast consumer market of 1.4 billion people and abundant industrial application scenarios present unique advantages for the development of AI.

China has surpassed the United States in the number of academic papers issued on artificial intelligence, taking the top spot worldwide, Zhu noted, adding that such papers increasingly focus on the specific industrial applications of AI.

This year's Government Work Report stated that China, under its "AI Plus" initiative, will work to effectively combine digital technologies with its manufacturing and market strengths, support the extensive application of large-scale AI models, and vigorously develop new-generation intelligent terminals and smart manufacturing equipment.

Samantha Zhu, chairperson of Accenture Greater China, said it is clear that China is emerging as an innovation-driven economy, with its breakthroughs in areas such as AI and robotics highlighting its growing capability in critical technologies that underpin long-term competitiveness.

"The recent wave of AI innovation, led by open-sourced large language models, is so encouraging that companies are quickly mobilizing themselves to harness such technologies," she said.

The entrepreneur noted that there is a strong momentum of AI-driven transformation, with businesses quickly integrating AI into decision-making, operations and customer engagement. "Looking at the vibrant AI ecosystem, we can say that China is not just an AI market — it's a proving ground for AI adoption by enterprises at scale," she said.

According to market research company CCID Consulting, the market scale of China's AI sector will reach 1.73 trillion yuan ($241 billion) by 2035, accounting for 30.6 percent of the global total.

Li Haitao, dean of the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, said that China boasts a large number of well-educated talent and AI professionals, improved digital infrastructure such as 5G and computing networks, and ever-increasing innovation capabilities, which will continue to drive its explosive growth in AI.

Li Dongsheng, founder and chairman of Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer TCL Technology Group Corp, said that China's breakthroughs in large language models, along with the meteoric rise of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek, have enabled it to rapidly catch up with the US in the AI domain, while surpassing most other developed economies in terms of AI application.

As AI is embedded into terminal devices, intelligent production lines and product R&D, this cutting-edge technology will significantly improve the production efficiency and competitiveness of China's high-tech manufacturing industry, he added.

fanfeifei@chinadaily.com.cn