Number of generative AI services developed in China surges

The number of generative AI services developed in China surged last year and with innovation breakthroughs, some have taken the lead in the world in providing AI services, according to a report released on Wednesday.

According to the report on the country's informatization progress in 2024 released by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the number of generative AI services registered with the CAC was only 64 by December 2023 and the number reached 188 by last August and surged to 302 by December with registered uses exceeding 600 million.

The development of generative AI services has boomed last year. So far, more than 490 generative AI big models have completed their registration filing with CAC, said Zhang Guangyao, deputy director of CAC's network technology management bureau.

"Products like ByteDance's Doubao and DeepSeek have been widely used in different aspects of people's life. And individual users can easily access such services online and via mobile applications," Zhang said.

According to the report, generative AI services are widely used in various fields such as audiovisual entertainment, cultural creativity, medical consultation, financial investment, production manufacturing as well as education and training. Several high-performance products have been released in 2024 to help improve work and production efficiency.

Also, an increasing number of generative AI big models have been developed in central and western regions last year besides eastern parts of China, Zhang added.

"Meanwhile, we have stepped up the efforts to prevent the misuse of AI to ensure its healthy and fair development," he said.

Currently, the rapid evolution of innovative network information technology, with AI as a representative, has led to the flourishing development of strategic emerging industries. And AI has become a new engine for the development of productivity, while blockchain has brought about a new paradigm in production relations, according to the report.