The annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) is in full swing in Shanghai. At the opening ceremony, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech, putting forward four proposals on jointly building a fair and equitable global AI governance system. He emphasized the importance of openness, inclusiveness, and cooperation to promote the sound and beneficial development of artificial intelligence worldwide.
If President Xi’s speech represents China’s vision and blueprint for AI development and governance, then the young entrepreneurs and users at the conference are offering a glimpse into the future of China’s AI industry. They are a generation willing to think big and take action, turning bold ideas into reality with the support of China’s policy ecosystem.
One week before the conference, Sequoia China and MIT Technology Review China jointly released the list of “AI Innovators Under 25.” These young talents are pushing the boundaries of AI in different ways: some have achieved impressive breakthroughs in fundamental research; some have independently developed influential open-source projects through outstanding engineering skills; while others are exploring how AI can address complex real-world challenges, from education and healthcare to robotics and scientific research.
This phenomenon is far from accidental. According to the Report on the Distribution and Mobility of Young Scientists in the Global Artificial Intelligence Field, 59.83 percent of young AI scientists worldwide are concentrated in China and the United States, with China alone accounting for 42.72 percent. As the two major AI powers compete for global leadership in the industry, China has demonstrated clear strengths in AI application ecosystems, policy support, and AI education.
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One important factor is China’s Generation Z, which has shown a more open and enthusiastic attitude toward AI development. When Seedance 2.0 emerged, young Chinese users quickly created waves of AI-generated content on popular social media platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu. Their creations ranged from humorous experiments to futuristic imagination, and many of them quickly became online trends.
The popularity of AI-generated short dramas in China provides another example. With fast-paced storytelling and frequent plot twists, AI short dramas fit well with younger generations’ fragmented entertainment habits. According to the China Internet Audiovisual Development Research Report (2026), more than 2 billion AI-generated videos and audio works were produced in China in 2025, representing an increase of more than 14 times compared with 2024. In the first quarter of 2026, around 128,000 micro-dramas were released across the industry, with AI-generated dramas accounting for more than 95 percent. The creative habits and adoption patterns of young users have helped accelerate the application of AI in China.
In particular, spectacular performances by humanoid robots at the Spring Festival Gala over the past two years have allowed more people to experience the potential of China’s robotics and AI industries. Such public exposure has also encouraged more young people to join the AI entrepreneurship wave.
Meanwhile, China has introduced a series of measures to promote AI development in alignment with its 15th Five-Year Plan. The plan calls for the full implementation of the “AI Plus” initiative, aiming to empower various industries through artificial intelligence.
Shanghai provides a vivid example. On February 23, 2023, Shanghai released a plan to promote the construction of the Grand Zero Bay sci-tech innovation hub, positioning it as a world-class innovation zone. At WAIC, a young AI entrepreneur told me that his company benefited from this initiative: after moving into Grand Zero Bay, the company was able to use office space at zero rental cost.
Some analysts have summarized three characteristics of China’s current AI support policies: first, a shift from technology research-driven development toward application scenario-driven development; second, a transition from broad-based support toward more targeted guidance; and third, stronger emphasis on market-oriented mechanisms in policy implementation.
Beyond policy and applications, AI education in China is also undergoing major transformation. In April, China’s Ministry of Education and four other government departments jointly issued the “AI Plus Education Action Plan.” The plan aims to establish by 2030 a deeply integrated AI education system covering all stages of learning and society as a whole, significantly improving both the scale and quality of AI talent cultivation while building a long-term mechanism for enhancing AI literacy among the public.
At this year’s WAIC, the Future Tech exhibition area brought together a large number of highly educated AI professionals. Looking ahead, more young talents with advanced education backgrounds are expected to enter the AI industry. The number of AI researchers in China has grown from fewer than 10,000 in 2015 to 52,000 in 2024, representing a remarkable compound annual growth rate of 28.7 percent.
The AI race is not only about algorithms, computing power, or investment. It is ultimately about people.
At WAIC 2026, one message stands out: China’s young generation is not waiting for the AI future to arrive—they are actively building it. With a growing ecosystem that combines technological innovation, policy support, and widespread adoption, these young innovators may become one of the defining forces shaping the global AI landscape.
