China had more than 700 million generative artificial intelligence (AI) users as of the first half of 2026, with an adoption rate exceeding 50 percent, according to a report released on Tuesday.
The China Internet Network Information Center released the findings during the 7th China Internet Infrastructure Resources Conference in Beijing.
According to the report, 36.1 percent of Chinese internet users are using AI assistants built into their smartphones, while 35.5 percent use AI applications on mobile devices. In terms of the purposes for which users turn to AI services, answering questions remains the most widespread use case, accounting for 76 percent. Generating images and videos, writing documents, and organizing work summaries and meeting minutes are also relatively common, at 47.8 percent, 37.6 percent, and 32.5 percent, respectively.
"By the first half of 2026, the number of generative AI users in China had surpassed 700 million, with a penetration rate exceeding 50 percent - a further increase from the end of last year. This reflects not only a growing number of users, but also new changes in user structure and consumer demand. From the perspective of user structure, the user base has shifted from a small group of early adopters to widespread public adoption. User growth is no longer driven merely by the novelty of new technology, but increasingly by practical needs in work, study, and daily life," said Wang Peng, director of the China Internet Network Information Center.
The report shows that as of July this year, AI general assistants, AI search engines, and AI life assistants were the three most-used categories of applications among Chinese internet users, with average monthly usage far exceeding other categories.
On the supply side, AI applications are equally abundant and diverse. As of June this year, a total of 988 generative AI services had completed filing with the Cyberspace Administration of China, while 598 generative AI applications or functions had been registered with local cyberspace administrations.
"According to the general pattern of the diffusion of innovations, when the penetration rate of a new technology approaches 50 percent, it signals that the technology is entering an inflection point in its growth curve: the pace of new user acquisition will begin to slow, and the industry's focus will shift from scale expansion to quality improvement and value creation. Going forward, therefore, we must not only continue to pay attention to the deepening application of generative AI, standards and norms, security governance, and the industrial ecosystem, but also proactively address the social impacts it may bring - in particular, protecting the rights and interests of digitally disadvantaged groups and enhancing the capacity of workers to adapt to occupational transitions," said Chao Lemen, deputy director of the Intelligent Information Analysis Research Center at Renmin University of China.
China's generative AI users top 700 mln: report
