Beijing seminar eyes AI as key to development of internet sector

The Internet Society of China (ISC) hosted a thematic seminar on the development of the internet sector in Beijing on April 19, highlighting the role of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Shang Bing, president of the ISC, addressed the seminar, saying that AI is pivotal to global competition and economic development as a strategic technology. He also said it will lead to a new round of technological and industrial transformation. 

Shang also stressed that the sector should deepen the integration with AI technology, strengthen innovation and international cooperation in order to gain competitive advantages, whilst also focusing on data security. 

Yang Yin, executive director of HK listed Qingsong Health, a digital health and insurance company, said that health AI should be verifiable and traceable in order to better serve the users. She also expressed that AI-based health assessment systems will be the core digital foundation for further building a healthy China. 

Li Shuhao, chief executive officer of TecDo Technology, an AI marketing solution provider, said that AI technology will provide a superb opportunity for the globalization of Chinese enterprises and the company looks to improve itself to help more domestic brands go global. 

Gathering industry experts, this seminar aims to explore latest trends to enable high-quality and sustainable development of the internet sector since being initiated by the ISC in 2004.

This year, the event in its 22nd edition was held at a time when China's AI industry experiences a major boom, backed by strong policy support. 

In 2025, the number of AI enterprises surpassed 6,000 in the country. Their core businesses are estimated to be more than 1.2 trillion yuan, according to a press conference of the State Council Information Office in January. 

This momentum is set to continue as the Report on the Work of the Government (2026) was released on March 5. It has pledged to advance and expand the AI Plus Initiative, which was also mentioned in the Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30). In turn new forms of the smart economy will be created and grown.