News of developments within artificial intelligence (AI) technology shook the people of China, and the rest of the world, throughout the beginning of 2025. In addition to rapid increases in the power of AI, some of the most striking breakthroughs have occurred in the way AI is being integrated with other technologies and industries.

Humanoid robots developed by Hangzhou-based Unitree Robotics in Zhejiang Province showed up in the worldwide livestreamed China Central Television (CCTV) Spring Festival Gala on January 28, the 2025 Chinese New Year's Eve, giving a groundbreaking performance that blended tradition with cutting-edge technology. The extravaganza, one of the most-watched television events across the world, runs for more than four hours and features a mix of music, dance, comedy sketches and other entertaining performances.

Titled "Yangge Bot," their act combined the vibrant energy of Yangge-style dance from northeast China with the precision of robotics, creating a spectacle that captivated audiences worldwide. One of the highlights was the robots' ability to manipulate handkerchiefs, a classic element of Yangge dance. With precise mechanical arm movements, the robots sent the handkerchiefs twirling and soaring through the air. Humanoid robots are a major example of integrated AI technology and are one of the key tracks for future industries.

"AI-driven robots are evolving at an incredibly fast pace every day, and the speed is generally surpassing my expectations," Wang Xingxing, Unitree's founder, told CCTV after attending a symposium on private enterprises in Beijing on February 17. "The surprises they bring me every day are also huge. You need to build the robot's AI model well, and then use the best AI computing power to train it, which greatly accelerates technological progress."

In his address to the symposium, President Xi Jinping urged efforts to promote the healthy and high-quality development of the country's private sector. The number and diversity of hi-tech companies and entrepreneurs invited to the event highlighted the country's focus on empowering the private sector with technology. 

Liang Wenfeng, founder of AI startup DeepSeek, also based in Hangzhou, attended the symposium. DeepSeek's chatbot app has gained popularity in not only China, but also the United States in recent months, following the company's claims that its AI can do what U.S. AI firm OpenAI's ChatGPT does at a fraction of the cost. From social media to industry forums, discussions about DeepSeek have been steadily increasing.

The two companies and their rise to fame are examples of how AI is increasingly integrating into daily life in a more natural and efficient way.

Embracing AI 

In an intelligent "plant factory" built by Lanjian Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd. in Dezhou, Shandong Province, the vegetable greenhouses are lush with both greenery and gadgetry. In the 500-square-meter greenhouses, big data calculations are used to adjust LED supplementary lighting to meet the precise needs of the vegetables. Additionally, an AI platform assesses images of the growing plants in realtime. If any of them begin to show yellowing leaves, a robotic arm quickly locates and removes them.

"This AI-assisted facility produces approximately 500 kg of hydroponic vegetables every day, which are shipped to Beijing, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Anhui provinces, and other places," Zhu Ziqiang, Director of the Smart Agriculture Division at Lanjian, told Xinhua News Agency in a February 13 report. The company has currently applied AI technology to multiple stages of production, including sowing, transplanting, harvesting and washing, improving efficiency and resource utilization.

Wuzhen Smart Hospital in Wuzhen, an ancient town in Zhejiang and the permanent venue of the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, is the first AI-powered hospital in China. Its intelligent navigation robots guide patients to independently measure vital indicators such as blood pressure, blood sugar, blood lipids and uric acid. Since the hospital opened in November 2023, fewer than 10 doctors, assisted by such robots and other smart devices, have treated several thousand patients.

Since January, DeepSeek's open-source inference model R1 has rapidly gained global popularity, becoming a focal point of attention. Many Chinese enterprises have integrated DeepSeek's AI models into their operations, aiming to enhance their level of intelligence and accelerate business innovation. This surge in adoption underscores the growing importance of AI in driving technological advancement and competitive edge in the market. 

These applications have the support of policies. For example, in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, known as the "world's factory," the government recently released a document focusing on an AI Plus Advanced Manufacturing initiative, aiming to promote the deep integration of AI and the manufacturing sector. The document sets ambitious goals for the city, including creating over 100 AI Plus Advanced Manufacturing demonstration application scenarios, attracting and cultivating more than 300 leading AI enterprises, and reaching a scale of over 300 billion yuan ($41.2 billion) for the core AI industry and 3 trillion yuan ($412 billion) for related industries.

These are examples of China's broader strategy to establish itself as a leader in intelligent manufacturing, leveraging AI to drive industrial innovation and enhance the quality of economic development.

Concerns and challenges 

"This year's AI phenomenon is the result of a combination of technological advancements, market demand, and increased social attention. They signal that technological development is entering a new phase characterized by intelligence," Chen Yushi, chief researcher at New Energy Nexus China, and a postdoctoral fellow in fintech at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, told Beijing Review. New Energy Nexus is an international non-profit that supports clean energy entrepreneurs with funds, accelerators and networks.

"The explosion of AI technology is built on many previous developments. From breakthroughs in algorithms to improvements in computing power and data accumulation, every aspect of AI technology has been continuously advancing, ultimately leading to the explosion we are witnessing today," he added.

Nevertheless, the rapid AI development has raised significant concerns and challenges in areas such as employment, information security and social ethics. For example, the development of AI will not be limited to replacing manual labor. In creative fields like music and writing or in logic-driven fields such as mathematics, AI also has the potential to surpass human capabilities in certain tasks.

"I personally feel that by the end of this year, humanoid AI robots will reach a new level. If all goes well, by next year or the year after, some basic applications, such as in the service industry or certain industrial sectors, could be up and running. However, the home-use sector might be a bit slower, as it requires higher safety standards and more mature technology," Wang told CCTV.

In the face of the employment challenges posed by AI, proactive design at the societal and institutional level is needed, such as exploring new social security models and adjusting the education system to meet the demands of the AI era, Chen said. He predicted that in the future workplace, those who are proficient in using AI will likely replace those who are not, making the mastery of AI tools and skills a key factor in career competitiveness. 

The widespread AI application across various industries has also brought information security risks, which is an issue that requires attention. In response, cybersecurity experts warn that chatbot users need to be vigilant about the risk of data breaches, especially when handling sensitive data, and exercise caution in such cases. 

"It is crucial to enhance user awareness of security, as well as to increase understanding of AI-related security risks," Chen said.

(Print Edition Title: THE SMART ECONOMY) 

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

Comments to taoxing@cicgamericas.com