One-person companies, embodied intelligence in spotlight at 2026 Global Digital Economy Conference

Artificial intelligence is reshaping business models and industrial applications as AI-driven entrepreneurship and embodied intelligence emerge as key highlights at the ongoing 2026 Global Digital Economy Conference in Beijing.

Running from Thursday to Sunday, the event brings together nearly 40 high-level industry delegations and over 1,000 distinguished guests from across the globe, underpinning Beijing's broader ambition to establish itself as a global benchmark city for the digital economy and a world-leading artificial intelligence hub.

Alongside the main conference, the Digital Economy Industry Expo offers a communication platform for participating guests through exhibitions and on-site interactive experiences, aiming to promote the implementation and commercialization of technological achievements.

A major highlight of the expo is its dedicated one-person company (OPC) zone, where entrepreneurs from across China are showcasing their projects and conducting in-depth exchanges with industry peers.

Kong Shengbo, a representative of an OPC student startup project, highlighted the transformative power of AI tools.

"People can now fully unlock their creative potential with the support of creative AI tools. This is the new opportunity AI brings to us. With an integrated matrix of AI, self-media channels and intellectual property, a single individual can build a complete production system," he said.

Beyond individual entrepreneurship innovations, the expo also puts on display a new generation of industrial robots, marking another key focus of this year's digital economy showcase.

One standout exhibit is an automated welding robot. By using an automatic positioner to scan target welding areas, the device can generate precise welding trajectories and initiate corresponding tasks. All data generated during the robot’s operation is recorded and put on file, which will be used for future evolution and training of industrial robots.

Industry practitioners note that the advancement of such intelligent robots is rooted in embodied intelligence, a technology whose development hinges on sufficient high-quality data input.

"The training of embodied intelligence requires high-quality, large-scale and diverse data. We drive the training and evaluation of embodied intelligence by building physically realistic simulations, so as to bring embodied intelligence into thousands of households and all industries, and help traditional industries achieve quality improvement, efficiency gains and intelligent transformation," said Yang Haibo, co-founder of Guanglun Intelligence.

One-person companies, embodied intelligence in spotlight at 2026 Global Digital Economy Conference

Japanese journalist Toshihiro Yoshida, a long-time observer and critic of Japan's military expansion, has warned that the military buildup pursued by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration risks plunging Japan into war again.

Yoshida made the point as the Takaichi administration continues pushing forward with revising the country's three key security documents -- the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy and the Defense Buildup Program while accelerating the deployment of long-range missiles and conducting joint military exercises with the United States.

"In line with the three security documents, the Japanese government has begun deploying long-range missiles capable of reaching China, while continuously expanding ammunition depots and promoting the use of civilian airports and ports by U.S. and Japan's Self-Defense Forces," said Yoshida.

He criticized the Takaichi administration for showing insufficient reflection on historical issues while continuously focusing on military expansion, which raises the risk that Japan could once again become a wartime aggressor.

"In Japanese political circles, especially among conservatives, including some politicians from the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, there is a lack of historical reflection. This raises concerns that Japan may be preparing for another war. The current military buildup and war preparedness, which are heightening regional tensions, should be halted," he said.

Yoshida also stressed the need for Japan to strengthen historical education and face up to its history of aggression.

"In Japanese society, awareness of Japan's historical responsibility as the aggressor remains insufficient, particularly the harm inflicted on China, Southeast Asia, and Pacific island nations during the war of aggression against China and the Pacific War. Relevant historical education should be strengthened so that the Japanese people can earnestly learn about that period of history," he said.

Japanese journalist warns Takaichi's military buildup risks plunging Japan into war again