By 2026, China expects to develop more than 50 new national and industrial standards for AI development, and participate in the development of over 20 international AI standards. This process is aimed at accelerating the establishment of a standard system that meets the high-quality development of this industry.
That's according to a guideline for the construction of a national comprehensive AI industry standard system, jointly released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Standardization Administration.
In recent years, China's AI industry has achieved rapid development in technological innovation, product creation, and industrial applications, forming a large market scale and presenting new features with the rapid growth of new technologies like large models. This expansion urgently requires improving the AI industry standard system, said the MIIT.
The guidelines specified seven key parts for developing the AI standard system, such as standards for key technologies, new industrialization, intelligent products and services, and industry applications.
Among them, key technology standards mainly specify technical requirements for AI in text, speech, images, as well as technologies such as human-machine hybrid enhancement intelligence, intelligent bodies, cross-media intelligence, and embodied intelligence, promoting AI technological innovation and applications.
In the 2024 government work report, China unveiled an AI Plus initiative to propel the digital economy's expansion and the transformation and modernization of manufacturing sectors.
The guideline standards for enabling new industrialization specify the technological requirements for allowing full-process intelligence in manufacturing and intelligent upgrades in key industries.
In addition, standardization research institutes are encouraged to develop and bring in high-end experts in this field.
Currently, China is home to more than 4,500 AI companies, with its core AI industry reaching a scale of more than 578 billion RMB in 2023, up 13.9 percent year-on-year, according to MIIT data.