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If you asked people about artificial intelligence (AI) 10 years ago, most wouldn't have understood its meaning. Today, however, AI has been gradually integrated into all aspects of daily life in China, such as travel, retail, medical, entertainment, logistics and other services sectors.

Analysts have noted that the acceleration of digitalization and expanded intelligence applications in the services industry have become a new trend, driven largely by advancements in AI technologies.

Industry insiders that a more extensive and faster digital transformation of the services industry is essential to ensure broader benefits for the public. In the future, thousands of industries are expected to be empowered by AI, and originally expensive services will also go to the public and serve daily life.

In fact, several AI-powered service examples were showcased at the just-concluded 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing.

Deep integration

For example, AI has already assisted many people in job seeking in China. At the 2024 CIFTIS, Alipay unveiled an AI-powered public employment robot named Xiaogu, designed to support the intelligent transformation of employment services.

According to existing regional data, the matching rate of people and job posts has been increased by at least 10 times, the Global Times learned from Alipay.

While AI-powered services like this may go unnoticed by many, the application of AI technologies in sectors such as tourism and gaming is more visible.

The integration of AI with scenic spots is creating a new and enhanced travel experience.

For example, in the scenic area of Mount Huangshan in East China's Anhui Province, an AI escort service has been implemented, and it was showcased at the 2024 CIFTIS.

An AI-powered application can recommend services throughout the entire journey, such as tour guides, taxi bookings, and food options, based on tourists' spatial positioning, the Global Times has learned.

"AI technologies can empower digital creative content production, and the digital content can be combined with the natural scenes within the scenic spots using augmented reality (AR) technology carriers, such as AR glasses," Chen Xi, a vice president of Rokid, a Hangzhou-based AR tech startup, told the Global Times on Friday.

AR is a technology that enhances or provides additional information about what people see in physical reality through digital images, sounds, and text. AI enhances AR by enabling it to recognize and augment the real world more effectively.

"In addition to immersive travel experience realized through AR technology, we also created some treasures hunting games with the help of AR technology in the context of local culture to help people, especially the kids enjoy the travel," Chen said, noting that such applications will also largely improve travel experiences at night.

AI technologies have also been applied in museums. Many global tourists visit exhibition halls using AR technologies in Chinese museums, enhancing the quality of their travel experience, as AI helps remove some barriers such as in language, Tian Feng, dean of SenseTime's Intelligence Industry Research Institute, told the Global Times on Friday.

Chen said that Rokid uses AI to do recognition of exhibits, and then uses AR technology to make the text explanation of the museum visual in about 200 museums in China.

OUTPUT, a Shanghai-based new digital content operation platform, has created digital content and scenario-based experience works in conjunction with Beijing's Palace Museum and Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden.

"We have helped showcase the treasures of the Palace Museum digitally in Singapore and participated in the Yuyuan Garden Lantern Festival in Paris and Shanghai to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France," Liu Yinmeng, founder and CEO of OUTPUT, told the Global Times.

Further development

"The development of AI technologies will bring great change and opportunity to many industries, such as tourism, sport and gaming," Tian said.

"AI Plus" was mentioned in the Government Work Report for the first time in 2024, saying that China will launch an AI Plus initiative, and build digital industry clusters with international competitiveness and will also promote the digitalization of the service sector.

"AI Plus" will serve as a key driving force, deeply integrating with industries such as healthcare, education, and cultural tourism, and promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

In 2023, China unveiled a plan for the overall layout of the country's digital development, which included support for the in-depth integration of digital technology and the real economy and the application of digital technology in the agriculture, manufacturing, finance, education, medical services, transportation and energy sectors.

China has experienced rapid development in the creative industry, also known as the orange industry, industry observers said on Friday at the Orange Industry and Sustainable Investment Forum, a sub-forum of the 2024 CIFTIS.

The UN defines the creative economy as cycles of creating, producing, and distributing goods and services that use creativity and intellectual capital as primary inputs.

According to UNCTAD, in 2020, China was by far the largest exporter of creative goods, at a reported value of $169 billion. As the service sector has gained prominence in the creative industries, China's creative service exports have grown from $59 billion in 2020 to $67 billion in 2022.

With the rapid advancement of key technologies such as AI, big data, cloud computing, and 5G communication in the country, China's orange industry is benefiting from strong technical support and is gradually moving toward a leading position globally, Liu said.

"In the coming years, China's orange industry is expected to see significant growth. Technological innovation, market demand and policy support will promote the orange industry to become an important force in China's economic diversification," Liu noted.

Analysts have noted that the orange industry exemplifies creativity and innovation, aligning closely with China's pursuit of an innovation-driven development strategy and the cultivation of high-quality new productive forces.