Humanoids in China's everyday life: embodied AI is changing the country and affecting relations with the US
Kyiv • UNN
China is massively implementing embodied AI, from humanoid robots to drones, to accelerate the economy and solve strategic tasks. This technological revolution is taking place against the backdrop of escalating competition with the US for leadership in key AI developments.
Artificial intelligence is key to solving a number of problems related to military power, demographics, and the economy, according to Chinese government officials.
UNN reports with reference to The Guardian.
The success of technological firms in the PRC is welcomed at the national level, which completely changes the previous policy of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who previously sought to overcome excessive wealth and influence beyond the control of the Chinese Communist Party. Now, in many provinces of the PRC, such as Guangdong and the city of Shenzhen, food is delivered to park visitors by a Meituan company drone on a platform, and Unitree humanoid robots perform a dance during the Spring Festival, gaining 17 billion views.
Chinese leaders support the development of the country's technology industry, and this seems even more relevant against the backdrop of the trade war with the United States, demographic challenges weighing on the economy, and prospects for productive relations with other economies of the world.
In March, Prime Minister Li Qiang promised to "unleash the creative potential of the digital economy," with particular emphasis on "embodied AI."
The Guardian cites the example of Guangdong province, which includes the technology hub Shenzhen. It is believed to be at the forefront of the movement for the development of modern technologies in the PRC.
The provincial government recently announced the allocation of 60 million yuan (over 8 million dollars) for new funding for innovation centers. Thanks to the progressive approach of the authorities to regulating the use of drones, Shenzhen is considered the Chinese drone capital.
The Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party sees the economic growth of the PRC in the context of the development of advanced technologies. This corresponds to the goal of countering the United States in global markets.
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Meanwhile, in Washington, there are already fears that the US advantage is diminishing. The States restrict the export of the most complex chips to China as part of the "high fence" strategy - i.e., protecting the most strategically valuable US technology.
One of the main tools in the US arsenal is control over crucial parts of the semiconductor supply chain, microchips used for training advanced AI models.
But in January, a previously unknown Chinese firm called DeepSeek ignited the Chinese tech scene by releasing a large language reasoning model R1 that performs as well as leading US competitors at a fraction of the price, notes Guardian. This triggered a stock market crash, with the leading Wall Street tech index losing $1 trillion. Since then, China's artificial intelligence industry has been overflowing with optimism, and the public in the PRC has received a new symbol promising long-term growth for the country.
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