Manufacturing businesses are embracing AI, but industry experts say funding models must evolve to support digital transformation and improve competitiveness.
The 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) & High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance opened in Shanghai on July 17. The gathering highlighted a shift in China's approach to AI, as the country moves from catching up technologically to building an ecosystem, and from participating in international rule-making to supplying public goods that benefit the wider world. The event injected fresh momentum into global AI development and governance.
China's AI sector is moving from isolated breakthroughs to a systemic leap forward. The country has built an innovation ecosystem spanning infrastructure, algorithms, computing power and applications. General-purpose large language models continue to advance, intelligent computing facilities are expanding rapidly, and the "AI Plus" initiative is promoting the in-depth integration of AI across sectors including manufacturing, health care, transportation and energy.
Abundant application scenarios are providing a testing ground for technological iteration, while an open industrial ecosystem is accelerating the commercialization of innovation, making AI an increasingly important engine for cultivating new quality productive forces and promoting high-quality development.
