China's digital push accelerates

Large-scale application

Beyond cities, AI agents are emerging as one of the most important areas where the digital economy is being applied to the real economy. This year, AI agents were included in the Government Work Report for the first time, as the tools push AI beyond systems that can "chat and analyze" toward what can really carry out tasks.

"The agent industry is entering a strategic window for large-scale application this year," said Han Xia, a senior official at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, at a sideline of the conference.

Accelerating the evolution of agents from individual intelligence to collective intelligence, and from closed applications to open collaboration, is of great significance for seizing the opportunities in this window, Han said.

However, the interconnection and collaboration among agents from different platforms still face challenges, including unclear technical architecture and the urgent need to upgrade network infrastructure, she noted.

In response, this year's conference launched an experimental network for the agent internet and released the first batch of "agent factories", aiming to push AI from resource calling to task delivery.

For companies, the value of such technology depends on whether it can solve specific problems in real-world scenarios.

In the industrial sector, AI-powered "digital colleagues" are already being used in manufacturing and corporate operations. "AI agents are the new colleagues that accompany every single one of our staff in their daily work now," said Zhang Guimin, chairman of Lunan Pharmaceutical Group.

Zhang said AI agents can efficiently complete high-risk and high-intensity tasks in new drug research and development, shortening the R&D cycle by more than 30 percent. The company has independently developed more than 20 AI agents so far, with over 100 application scenarios covering R&D, quality management, production, sales, human resources, finance and e-commerce.

In consumer settings, AI agents are also being built into smart home products. Haier Smart Home's Xiaoyou agent, for example, can remember where household items are stored. After a user verifies a dedicated password, the corresponding drawer lights up automatically. During cooking, a range hood can detect when food in a pot is boiling and automatically lower the heat for simmering.