China to intensify efforts for AI applications during 15th Five-Year Plan period: official

China will increase investment in research and development of artificial intelligence (AI), make efforts to facilitate its application, and promote the construction of an open-source AI ecosystem, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on Wednesday.

Liu Yulin, director of the information and communications development department of the MIIT, said at a press conference in Beijing that the cumulative global downloads of China's open-source AI models have surpassed 10 billion since the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period.

More efforts will be made in following three aspects during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) period, he said.

"First of all, we will increase investment in research and development, innovate organizational methods, and concentrate efforts on breaking through a number of key technologies. We will carry out an initiative on building industrial data foundation, so as to turn the experience of veteran workers on production line and inspection into usable data resources. We will further promote the 'AI plus Software" initiative, support the intelligent upgrade of basic software and industrial software, and create a batch of intelligent programming tools and industrial intelligent agents to provide the people with better products and services," he said.

This year, the MIIT launched the initiative on building industrial data foundation to pilot the construction of datasets of high-quality industries empowered by AI.

Second, efforts will be made to promote applications of AI models.

"We will encourage all industries to boldly open up application scenarios and enable various software and intelligent agents to continuously optimize in real environments. We will provide good application service guarantees, encourage enterprises to cultivate professional service teams, and promote all sectors of society to shift from 'using software' to 'enjoying services'," Liu said.

Third, China will strive to intensify the construction of open-source AI ecosystems, the official said.

"We will vigorously promote the construction of open-source ecosystems, incubate a batch of dynamic open-source projects, especially in the field of artificial intelligence, so as to enable more entities to enjoy the dividends of open-source technology. We will strengthen the cultivation of open-source talents, enabling more people to understand, be proficient, and use open source, thus creating a favorable atmosphere of co-creation and sharing, and providing a more relaxed and friendly development environment for entrepreneurs and developers," Liu said.

China to intensify efforts for AI applications during 15th Five-Year Plan period: official

Chinese Premier Li Qiang emphasized advancing agricultural modernization and ensuring food security when making investigation in northeast China's Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces from Monday to Wednesday.

In Heilongjiang Province, Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visited a state farm and observed the growth of soybean, corn, and rice crops. He stressed that autumn grain accounts for the bulk of annual output, calling for stepped-up farmland management and policy support to ensure grain harvest.

Visiting an agricultural science park and a rice research institute, Li asked about seed breeding innovation and black soil conservation, highlighting the importance of science and technology in pursuing higher yields and calling for further efforts in seed breeding, advanced machinery, and smart farming.

At a major water conservancy project, Li reviewed construction progress, urging faster completion to improve flood control, irrigation, and ecological benefits while supporting stable, high-yield harvests.

In Jilin Province, Li visited an agricultural cooperative and learned about its operations. He called for developing diverse forms of appropriately scaled agricultural operations and improving services for agriculture to help smallholders connect with modern agriculture.

At a grain processing plant, Li inspected a corn oil production line and called for boosting intensive processing of agricultural products to extend industrial chains and raise value.

Li also visited the Chagan Lake and learned about the ecological fisheries. He called for actively developing modern eco-aquaculture, promoting integrated development of the farming, forestry, livestock, and fishing industries as well as the development of eco-tourism.

Chinese premier stresses agricultural modernization, food security