An AI digital chassis is displayed at the Smart Vehicle exhibition area during the fourth China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing, capital of China, June 23, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]
BEIJING — Artificial intelligence is fast becoming a reliable engine of growth for China's industrial transformation. From factories and mines to classrooms and hospital wards, fresh AI applications are creating new businesses and reshaping the world's second-largest economy.
The 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance will take place in Shanghai from Friday to Monday, where officials and industry leaders are set to discuss deeper international AI cooperation.
The event comes at a time when China's AI industry is gathering speed. China's core AI industry in 2025 exceeded 1.2 trillion yuan ($176.36 billion), with the sector featuring over 6,200 companies. More than 30 percent of large industrial enterprises in China have adopted AI, and leading smart factories have embedded the technology in over 70 percent of their operations.
AI and real economy
