On April 1st, the Guangdong Provincial Government held a press conference in Guangzhou to announce a series of support policies aimed at accelerating the development of the artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics industries. The policies, detailed in the Guangdong Provincial Measures to Promote the Innovative Development of the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Industry (hereinafter referred to as the Measures), reveal Guangdong's plan to leverage key application scenarios, focusing on the deep integration of AI and robotics in key sectors. The province will fully launch the “AI+” and “Robotics+” action plans. This policy not only demonstrates Guangdong's ambition in emerging technologies but also injects new momentum into its goal of building a nationally leading intelligent industry cluster.
According to the Measures, Guangdong plans to widely promote the application of AI technology in education, healthcare, transportation, civil affairs, finance, and security. Through the “AI+” action plan, Guangdong will promote the deep integration of AI technology with practical scenarios. This includes using intelligent algorithms to optimize the allocation of educational resources, improve the efficiency of medical diagnosis, and alleviate urban congestion through AI-driven traffic management systems. Simultaneously, under the “Robotics+” action plan, Guangdong will explore and open up more application scenarios in industry, agriculture, urban management, healthcare, elderly care services, and special operations, encouraging the widespread penetration of robotics technology into production and life. For example, in the industrial sector, intelligent robots are expected to assist in the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing; in elderly care, companion and assistive robots may improve the quality of life for the elderly.
Image Source Note: Image generated by AI, image authorized by Midjourney
To accelerate the empowerment of new industrialization with AI, Guangdong will also conduct pilot programs based on key provincial industrial clusters. The policy states that each year, a batch of excellent industrial-grade large models and application solution cases will be selected, with each case receiving up to 8 million yuan in funding. This measure aims to incentivize enterprises to research and apply AI technologies with industry-wide impact, driving Guangdong's manufacturing industry towards intelligence and high-end development. Experts analyze that this incentive mechanism will not only stimulate innovation among enterprises but also attract more domestic and international technical teams and capital to focus on Guangdong's industrial ecosystem.
At the press conference, relevant officials stated that Guangdong, as a major economic and technological province in China, possesses a strong manufacturing foundation and abundant application scenario resources. This policy aims to fully leverage these advantages to further consolidate its leading position in the AI and robotics industries. It is understood that Guangdong will also provide comprehensive support to enterprises through the construction of public service platforms, strengthening industry-academia-research cooperation, and optimizing the business environment to ensure the effective implementation of the policies.
Industry insiders point out that the release of the Measures is timely. With the intensifying global competition in AI and robotics technologies, Guangdong's move is not only a positive response to the national “14th Five-Year Plan” to accelerate the development of the intelligent economy, but also an important strategic move to further enhance regional innovation capabilities within the context of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area construction. However, the implementation of the policy still faces certain challenges, such as the complexity of cross-domain collaboration, the cost of technology implementation, and the supply of high-end talent. Relevant departments have stated that detailed measures will be introduced later to ensure the efficient execution of the policy.
The launch of these Measures is considered a milestone in Guangdong's transition to a new stage of intelligent economy. In the future, with the in-depth promotion of the “AI+” and “Robotics+” actions, Guangdong is expected to establish benchmark application cases in various fields such as education, healthcare, and industrial manufacturing, providing valuable experience for the development of the intelligent industry nationwide and globally.
