The following Chinese government policy encourages companies in a vast array of industries to develop AI use cases. The policy particularly emphasizes applications of AI in high-end manufacturing and services, and directs local governments to provide compute, data, talent, and capital to this end.

An archived version of the Chinese source text is available online at:    https://perma.cc/R3NL-QZCB

Guiding Opinions on Accelerating Scenario Innovation to Promote the High-Quality Development of the Economy Through High-Level Applications of Artificial Intelligence

In order to implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on advancing artificial intelligence (AI) development, coordinate the promotion of AI scenario innovation, address major challenges in the application and industrialization of AI, comprehensively enhance the quality and level of AI development, and better support high-quality development, these Guiding Opinions have been formulated in accordance with the requirements of the Outline of the People’s Republic of China 14th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development and Long-Range Objectives for 2035¹ and the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan.²

I. Overall Requirements

Scenario innovation is a process that is guided by the creative application of new technologies and directed by supply-demand linkages, and is one that enables the iterative upgrading of new technologies and rapid industrial growth. Promoting AI scenario innovation has great significance for advancing the higher-level application of AI, and for better supporting high-quality development. China’s rapid AI technology development, increasingly abundant data and computing resources, and constantly expanding application scenarios have laid a solid foundation for AI scenario innovation. Challenges remain, however, including insufficient understanding of scenario innovation, inadequate design of major scenario systems, limited openness of scenario opportunities, and an incomplete scenario innovation ecosystem. It is therefore necessary to strengthen coordination and guidance of AI scenario innovation.

1. Guiding Ideology.

Guided by General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of important speeches on AI, and implementing the new concept of development (新发展理念), we will: Take the deep integration of AI with the real economy as the main theme, and take the promotion of scenario resource openness and the enhancement of scenario innovation capabilities as the main directions; strengthen entity incubation, enlarge application demonstrations, innovate mechanisms and systems, and improve the scenario ecosystem; accelerate AI technology breakthroughs, product development, and industry incubation; and explore new models and pathways for AI development, using high-level application of AI to promote high-quality economic development.

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1. Translator’s note: CSET’s English translation of the 14th Five-Year Plan Outline is available online at: https://cset.georgetown.edu/publication/china-14th-five-year-plan/.
2. Translator’s note: For an English translation of the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan, see: https://www.newamerica.org/cybersecurity-initiative/digichina/blog/full-translation-chinas-new-generation-artificial-intelligence-development-plan-2017/.