The landscape of China’s economy is undergoing a transformative shift, largely fueled by the synergistic forces of policy, technology, and industry, all coming together under the banner of “Artificial Intelligence +”. This amalgamation is not just changing the game for technology but is realigning entire sectors, posing fresh challenges and igniting new opportunitiesLeading companies are seizing these opportunities, engaging deeply in the practice of integrating AI into their operationsThis encompasses a range of applications from optimizing workflows to driving substantial innovations in business models.

In the rapidly evolving business environment, the warning by Zhou Yunjie, the chairman of Haier Group, serves as a stark reminder of the stakes involved: “Either evolve with AI or be replaced by it.” This sentiment resonates with numerous entrepreneurs in ChinaHuang Yimeng, founder of Xindong Company, stresses that AI is now rooted in every role within enterprisesHe points out, "Whether employees can fully leverage existing AI technologies will become increasingly crucial in distinguishing productivity and quality of work."

This paradigm shift signifies that AI has transcended its status as merely a tool and is now regarded as a vital production factorIts inexhaustible potential in optimizing processes, enhancing decision-making, reshaping business models, and driving innovation has positioned it at the core of developing a new quality of productivity, unveiling limitless possibilities for the future of the Chinese economy.

As the AI sector gains traction, its commercialization is acceleratingA notable instance stems from the enthusiasm surrounding platforms like Bilibili, where videos showcasing the use of DeepSeek—AI-powered tools for crafting popular action and racing video games—have quickly garnered millions of viewsOne creator shared the hopeful vision that in the future, simply expressing a desire for a specific game could lead to its immediate creation.

This optimism aligns with the burgeoning Chinese gaming industry, valued at approximately 300 billion yuan, which is experiencing a silent yet profound ‘scene revolution’ propelled by DeepSeek

Advertisements

A spokesperson from Xindong Company revealed, “Beginning in early 2023, our art and design departments have actively embraced and iterated AI technologies, exploring the integration of 'AI + game development’ which has substantially heightened our creative output and production efficiency.”

Furthermore, Xindong has quietly established a high-density team dedicated to pioneering AI frontier technologies, resulting in research that has been recognized at prestigious international machine learning conferencesTheir groundbreaking work, “Lightning Attention,” is now being adopted by prominent AI enterprises in China.

In addition, Xindong’s TapTap platform, a game community and app marketplace, is set to launch the industry’s first specialized AI knowledge and Q&A product in 2024. This solution is designed to address the gaps in conventional large language models, especially concerning the rapid updating of niche gaming information and interpreting users' queries more effectively.

The gaming industry is but one of the numerous sectors undergoing similar revolutionsTraditional industries like home appliance manufacturing, large-scale industrial enterprises, and the health sector are also progressively adapting to these changesJust recently, Haier Group announced that its ecological models in three major divisions have integrated DeepSeek’s capabilities, encompassing platforms devised for home appliances, industrial operations, and smart city projects.

The chairman of Qiuyue Group remarked, “The convergence of technology leads to super applications; AI is now penetrating industry scenarios from content creation to full-scale integration, paving the way for a comprehensive sensory intelligence.”

Currently, hundreds of publicly listed companies are incorporating DeepSeek, representing nearly every sector of the national economy, thus reshaping the future landscape of industries in China.

As the transformative undertakings in corporate structures and production processes continue, two distinctive paradigms of AI application are emerging among top-tier publicly traded companies

Advertisements

The first paradigm centers on efficiency enhancement, transitioning from localized improvements to comprehensive intelligent solutions.

Xindong Company stands among early adopters of AI within its game development workflowsFor instance, in the artistic design stage, the firm has introduced an AI drawing plugin to streamline the processes for designers by enhancing the precision of visual details; they train specialized AI models to prompt quicker creative outputs tailored to product development needs, significantly reducing repetitive tasks and accelerating development cyclesTheir utilization of AI has led to an overall productivity increase of over 50% within their art department.

In contrast, the second paradigm emphasizes model innovation, shifting from mere product provision to empowering ecosystems. “The home appliances sector has entered an era where user experience reigns supreme,” a leader from Haier’s smart home division notedThey argue that today’s consumers desire products fitting their unique lifestyle, which creates a tightrope walk between personalization of user needs and the standardization of products offered by companies.

Haier is tackling this challenge through a strategic exploration centered on intelligent homesTheir intelligent family interactive engine, dubbed the “smart brain,” enables users to express their needs while seamlessly connecting them with the broader ecosystemThis dual approach allows for rapid responses and satisfaction of user requests while also affording users the autonomy to customize their smart home environments.

Moreover, the convergence of both paradigms can be observed in Haier’s healthcare initiative, Yinkang Yisheng, which has championed the application of AI within the medical fieldTheir Shanghai-based YONGCI Rehabilitation Hospital has pioneered an intelligent medical interaction engine, establishing a comprehensive AI medical technology application system that includes elements like AI patient records, diagnoses, and customer service

Advertisements

This framework focuses on personalized recovery plans, thereby significantly enhancing the patient experience throughout the entire medical journey.

As they pivot towards a new quality of productivity, companies are on the brink of achieving high-quality growthAs the integration of “AI + industry” unfolds, it raises an urgent question: Will this trend lead to a significant reduction in labor demands?

The perspective shared by industry leaders such as Qiuyue suggests a cautious optimism; they see the evolution over the past three years as cyclical: “In 2023, we emphasize using AI for fundamental tasks, 2024 will be focused on training job-specific intelligent agents, and by 2025, we envisage AI workflows reconstructing business processes.” Leaders view this human-machine collaboration as a transition in workplace paradigms that could potentially see 50% of basic roles replaced by AI workflows in the next five years, all while simultaneously generating new professions centered around AI training.

Huang Yimeng echoes this sentiment, positing that the current valuation of AI revolves more around enhancing efficiency rather than merely cutting costsInstead of reducing personnel based on stable output, companies should utilize AI to boost production levels while maintaining workforce capacity.

Fang Haisheng, CEO of Wuxin Xingchen, encapsulates this philosophy succinctly, stating, “True AI + transcends beyond mere cost-cutting; it involves creating new production functions.”

As the industry adapts to this revolutionary shift in productivity, a notable pattern emerges among the front-runnersFirst, they focus on data assetization, with firms like Haier leading this charge by embedding systems that transform data into a new economic driverHaier’s smart home initiatives have achieved global penetration, establishing platforms that allow millions of families to enhance their living experiences.

The second point emphasizes organizational agility, as Haier maintains a longstanding commitment to maximizing human potential

Advertisements

Advertisements