AI Leads Future Industry Development: China’s Layout and Measures to Seize New Growth Drivers

With the accelerated evolution of the global new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, the cultivation and development of future industries have become a strategic focus for countries to foster new economic growth points and shape new global competitive advantages. For China, the development of future industries is a key part of building a modern industrial system and promoting high-quality economic development. In terms of key technological innovation, the booming development of next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly exerting its leading role in future industrial development, covering two core paths: the industrialization of future industrial technologies and the futurization of existing industries. Grasping the innovation and industrial integration of next-generation AI is of great significance for China to cultivate and develop future industries.

AI: A Key Force Leading Technological Innovation and Industrial Development

Firstly, in terms of its own development, next-generation AI brings new economic growth. Attracting widespread attention worldwide, AI is expected to drive substantial global economic growth. According to a report by McKinsey Global Institute, the global AI market size is projected to reach 15.7 trillion US dollars by 2030, while a PwC report indicates that AI may boost the global economic scale by 15% in the next decade. The UN Conference on Trade and Development also predicts that the AI market will hit 4.8 trillion US dollars by 2033, equivalent to the size of Germany’s economy.

In terms of innovation trends, large models and intelligent agents are expected to spawn new formats and build brand-new business models. Supported by capital and computing power, large models are developing rapidly with increasingly mature product forms, and it is expected that large model services focusing on information services will gradually enter people’s production and life as a new service format in the next few years. In addition, intelligent agents focusing on system capabilities also have great potential to open up new market space, with unique advantages in application and promotion due to their object-oriented and business-oriented service models. Among them, "soft intelligent agents" such as digital humans and intelligent systems are entering a fast track of innovation, while "hard intelligent agents" like AI-enabled vehicles and humanoid robots are moving from laboratories to practical applications, with the latter attracting much attention in fields such as housekeeping services and industrial manufacturing.

Secondly, in terms of integrated development, AI serves as a bridge between technological and industrial innovation. Integration is the era feature of future industrial development. Driven mainly by cutting-edge technological innovation, future industries were previously driven by single or a few technological innovations, a model that still exists but is no longer mainstream. The integration of multiple technologies has become the main model for current technological innovation and industrial development, in which information technology represented by AI usually plays an important role. A 2025 report on future industrial new tracks shows that AI-related fields such as general AI, embodied intelligence, computing chips and metaverse account for half of the top ten new tracks in future industries.

Through technological empowerment, AI is accelerating the intelligent transformation of other industries and spawning new industrial tracks. It is penetrating the entire industrial chain from R&D to production, circulation and services, promoting the intelligent upgrading of traditional industries. In the manufacturing sector, smart factories formed by the integration of AI, the Internet of Things and big data have realized real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance and flexible production. In the service sector, AI has spawned new formats such as unmanned retail, smart healthcare and online education, with digital healthcare and smart transportation profoundly changing the original service forms and operation models.

Challenges in AI Leading Future Industrial Development

Despite remarkable progress, AI-led future industrial development still faces multiple challenges. In terms of technological innovation systems, there is room for improvement in completeness and efficiency. Sustainable model iteration may face challenges, as the space to improve performance by simply expanding model parameters and training data is gradually narrowing. In addition, bridging the innovation gap between regions and entities is crucial, with unbalanced regional innovation capabilities and insufficient coordination between different innovation entities.

In terms of innovation efficiency, insufficient integration of algorithms, computing power and data technology restricts progress, and the disconnection between academic research and industrial needs, as well as the "data island" dilemma caused by inadequate data sharing, have become key obstacles. In industrial development, enterprises face significant cost pressures in AI investment, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, while immature business models and insufficient product maturity have led to low market trust and uncertain demand.

In industry integration and application, difficulties in identifying entry points and adapting to scenarios, as well as data barriers caused by unclear ownership, inconsistent standards and privacy concerns, hinder large-scale promotion. Furthermore, the rapid development of AI has put forward new requirements for governance capabilities, with the need to improve ethical and regulatory frameworks to address issues such as algorithmic bias and data privacy leaks.

Multi-Measures to Promote AI Innovation and Application

To promote the healthy development of AI and its in-depth integration with future industries, China has formulated a series of targeted measures.

Firstly, improve the organizational coordination mechanism. Strengthen national-level overall planning, establish a national AI development institution to coordinate relevant work, accelerate top-level design, and formulate long-term AI innovation and development plans focusing on technological and industrial integration. Enhance coordination between central and local authorities to promote the exploration and demonstration of new paths in AI innovation, industrial development and comprehensive governance.

Secondly, strengthen public service capabilities. Launch national AI public service capacity building projects, build a public service system for the whole society, and optimize the allocation of computing power resources by integrating relevant project resources to create a globally competitive computing power network. Accelerate the construction of a data opening system and an open-source ecosystem, and improve the intellectual property protection system.

Thirdly, promote regional coordinated development. Draw a regional map of AI innovation and application, and establish three types of regional coordination systems for AI industrial clusters, integration applications and comprehensive development. Support the construction of AI industrial clusters and demonstration scenarios to drive technological integration and the development of new products and formats, and promote the in-depth integration of AI in cities through pilot zones.

Fourthly, deepen international cooperation. Build a cross-border collaborative ecosystem, guide leading enterprises to gather global AI innovation resources, and actively promote the construction of a global AI governance system based on the principles of "development first, safe and controllable, and inclusive sharing". Promote the formulation of key international standards for AI technologies and products, and launch a global AI empowerment plan to enhance China’s leading role in global AI technology supply and application.

As a core driving force for future industrial development, AI will continue to play a key role in China’s high-quality economic development. With the continuous improvement of policies, technologies and industrial ecology, China is well-positioned to seize the opportunities brought by AI, promote the upgrading of future industries, and inject strong momentum into building a modern industrial system.