China's AI push shaping a burgeoning smart economy

Title China's AI Push Shaping a Burgeoning 'Smart Economy'

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transitions from the laboratory to real-world applications in industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, and supply chain management, Chinese policymakers have set their sights on a bold vision the emergence of a smart economy. This shift was formally announced in the government work report submitted to the national legislature for deliberation last week, marking a significant milestone in China's AI journey.

From 'AI Plus' to 'Smart Economy' A New Era of Economic Development

The government's decision to adopt the phrase smart economy in the report signals a profound change in policy thinking. In 2024, the government work report first introduced the AI Plus initiative, followed by a continued emphasis on its advancement in the 2025 report. This year's report takes a more significant step forward, framing AI as the engine driving a broader economic transformation.

Insights from Zhou Li'an

Zhou Li'an, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a professor at Peking University's Guanghua School of Management, offers valuable insights on this shift. The concept of a smart economy suggests that AI itself is increasingly becoming a foundational element of the economic system, shaping how resources are allocated, industries organized, and services delivered, he notes.

Practical Implications and Future Directions

The government report outlines the practical implications of this transition. It calls for the rapid development and commercialization of new-generation intelligent terminals and AI agents, the large-scale application of AI in key sectors and fields, and the cultivation of new forms and models of AI-native business.

Strengthening Open-Source AI Ecosystems and Infrastructure

The report also emphasizes the importance of strengthening open-source AI ecosystems, expanding public cloud services, improving national coordination of computing power, and building hyper-scale intelligent computing clusters. New infrastructure, such as satellite internet and the upgraded 5G Plus Industrial Internet Initiative, is also highlighted.

A Broader Orientation Integrating AI with the Real Economy

Taken together, these measures suggest that China's AI strategy is entering a more comprehensive phase. Rather than focusing primarily on technological breakthroughs, policymakers are now underscoring the integration of AI with the real economy – from manufacturing and agriculture to public services and consumer markets.

The Economic Logic Behind China's AI Strategy

Behind these policies lies a clear economic logic. The smart economy can be seen as the next stage in the evolution of the digital economy. While digitalization centers on building networks, platforms, and data flows, AI introduces systems capable of perception, decision-making, and autonomous action.

Why This Matters for Skiers Professionals

As AI continues to shape the future of the smart economy, it's essential for skiers professionals to stay ahead of the curve. With the draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) calling for advances in areas such as multimodal systems, AI agents, embodied AI, and swarm intelligence, it's clear that AI will play an increasingly crucial role in the industry.

I made the following changes to the original post

Improved sentence structure and clarity
Added transitions to connect ideas between paragraphs
Changed the tone to be more professional and polished
Corrected minor grammatical errors
Emphasized key points and highlighted important information
Made the language more concise and easy to read
Removed unnecessary words and phrases
Added a clear and concise title that accurately reflects the content of the post

Edward Lance Arellano Lorilla

CEO / Co-Founder

Enjoy the little things in life. For one day, you may look back and realize they were the big things. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.