China’s AI Embrace: A Tale of Rapid Adoption and National Ambition

My social media feeds this week — at least before they were dominated by tributes to Dolly Parton — were flooded with footage from the humanoid robot competitions. Robots sprinting and crashing into walls. Robots hoisting weights overhead. Robots attempting football, albeit clumsily. The backdrop for all this mechanical spectacle? China, unsurprisingly.

China’s relationship with AI stands apart from any other nation’s. Recently, some of my colleagues published an illuminating piece examining how deeply AI has woven itself into daily life in Beijing, which offered me a fresh perspective on the country’s technological landscape. More insights follow below.

First, let’s turn to my colleague Vivian Wang, one of the reporters behind that investigation, who explores why a technology that has raised eyebrows in the West has found such enthusiastic acceptance in China.

The launch of the AI video generation tool Seedance 2.0 earlier this year revealed stark contrasts in global reactions.

In the United States, the response was largely one of concern. Following the viral spread of a remarkably lifelike Seedance-created video depicting a fictional fight between Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, Hollywood filmmakers and writers worried their roles might soon become redundant.

In China, however—Seedance’s parent company, ByteDance, calls it home—many responded with excitement. Shares in short-video platforms jumped, and renowned director Jia Zhangke debuted a short film crafted with Seedance, featuring a dialogue between his real self and a digital avatar about cinema.

“I’m not concerned about technology supplanting movies,” Jia wrote on social media. “Since its inception, cinema has evolved alongside new technologies. The essence lies in how humanity chooses to employ these tools.”

These divergent responses highlight a growing divide between China and much of the West: Chinese society appears far more receptive to an AI-driven future.

According to a global survey spanning 47 countries last year, public sentiment in China ranks among the most optimistic worldwide regarding AI. With 69% of respondents viewing its advantages over its drawbacks, China far outpaces the U.S., where only 35% shared this outlook. Similar trends have emerged across various other polls.

What accounts for this disparity? The answer likely lies in how each country has implemented the technology.

AI woven into everyday life

Autonomous taxis navigate the streets of over a dozen Chinese cities, while service robots glide through hotels and restaurants. Chinese tech firms have introduced medical chatbots designed to reduce wait times at hospitals. AI assistants are seamlessly integrated into popular apps, allowing users to request restaurant recommendations from mapping services or seek shoe-pairing advice through shopping platforms.

Such widespread integration is difficult to grasp without witnessing it firsthand. We recently launched an interactive feature enabling readers to virtually traverse Beijing’s AI-enhanced neighborhoods; judging by reader feedback, many outside China found both the prevalence of AI and local attitudes toward it surprising.

The government and private sector in China have made embedding AI into daily routines a strategic priority.

President Xi Jinping emphasized that China’s AI development should focus on practical applications. Officials argue AI can address pressing challenges like unequal access to healthcare and a rapidly aging workforce.

Meanwhile, many American tech giants continue pursuing more theoretical milestones—perfecting advanced models or aiming for artificial general intelligence.

As a result, Chinese consumers experience tangible AI benefits sooner than their Western counterparts, observes Bai Guo, a professor specializing in the digital economy at China Europe International Business School in Shanghai.

“People recognize that AI can assist with countless tasks, and they find that appealing,” Bai noted. “This fosters widespread positivity and engagement.

Growing questions and concerns

However, recent months have seen rising concerns about AI—even within China.

Workers displaced by AI systems have taken legal action against employers, filing lawsuits in Chinese courts. Judges ruled in favor of employees, asserting that AI adoption does not justify mass layoffs.

The government fears social unrest from job displacement and seeks to prevent AI-generated content that undermines censorship or empowers cyber threats. In a recent address, Xi cautioned against losing control over AI’s trajectory.

It’s also plausible that dissenting voices exist more broadly than visible metrics suggest. Chinese authorities suppress reports of autonomous vehicle accidents, and independent labor unions—often vocal critics of AI in the West—are absent.

Nonetheless, enthusiasm prevails. Perhaps this stems from how thoroughly AI integrates into daily routines. Or, as several scholars, investors, and entrepreneurs I spoke with suggest, it reflects a deeper cultural readiness for transformative change.

China’s rapid modernization over recent decades has accustomed its people to embracing seismic shifts. Technology remains central to this evolution—a testament to national progress.

Technology writer Afra Wang captured this sentiment in a recent newsletter, recounting her grandmother’s journey. Once walking five hours merely to purchase a clock so her children could attend school punctually,

“Today, that same grandmother navigates life with a Xiaomi smartphone, indulging in online shopping while delivery drones soar overhead,” Wang wrote. “For her, AI represents nothing more than the latest chapter in a story of relentless forward momentum.”

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