China unveils directive for building high-quality datasets across key industries

China's top data regulator on Monday rolled out a directive for building high-quality datasets across key industries.

The directive, officially, known as the Implementation Scheme for Promoting the Construction of High-Quality Datasets in Industries, was promulgated by the National Data Administration. It outlines six major operations including data supply, circulation and application to accelerate the integration of high-quality data and artificial intelligence (AI).

The directive calls for sustained efforts to build high-quality multimodal datasets covering text, images, audio and video, aligned with the practical demands of AI applications.

It focuses on priority frontiers including AI agents, embodied AI and world models, requiring accelerated dataset development in these directions.

It also guides eligible local regions to launch data annotation innovation pilot zones, tailored to their local strengths.

"This implementation scheme makes a systematic planning for dataset construction encompassing the entire chain. With the focus on key and innovation domains such as scientific research, industrial manufacturing, the low-altitude economy and embodied AI, it aims to advance dataset construction with a focused, needs-driven approach. In parallel, it drives the transformation and upgrade of data annotation, so as to comprehensively raise both the supply capacity and quality of datasets," said Hu Jianbo, president of the National Institute for Data Development.

China unveils directive for building high-quality datasets across key industries

Rare images of Asian black bears, a wild species under second-class national protection, have recently been captured by infrared cameras in a nature reserve in southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Researchers at the Xinping management and protection bureau of the Ailao Mountain national nature reserve released the footage on Saturday, which showed wild bears foraging, resting, or moving leisurely across several locations within the reserve.

The animal is famous for the distinct, crescent-shaped white patch of fur on its chest, which earns it the nickname "moon bear."

Asian black bears are distributed mostly in mountainous and forested areas in several regions of China. They are typically active at night, dawn, or dusk, but may also occasionally venture out during daytime. Their diet primarily includes plant shoots, fruits, and insects.

The recent recordings indicate a healthy ecosystem and ample food supply within the reserve, and provide valuable reference data for future research on Asian black bear behaviors and activity patterns across different habitats.

Rare Asian black bears spotted in Yunnan nature reserve