By March 2026, China’s daily average token usage—the fundamental measure of artificial intelligence processing—surpassed 140 trillion. This staggering volume, a thousand-fold increase from early 2024, signals that AI has moved beyond a speculative novelty into the plumbing of the Chinese economy. As the technology transitions from generative language models to 'physical intelligence' capable of spatial perception, the focus for policymakers and industry titans is shifting from simple adoption to the strategic management of a new economic paradigm.
At the recent 2026 Tsinghua Wudaokou Global Financial Forum in Chengdu, experts argued that AI is finally solving the 'service industry paradox.' Traditionally, sectors like healthcare, education, and research have struggled to match the productivity gains of manufacturing because they rely heavily on human labor. However, digital tools are now fundamentally altering this equation. By automating information-heavy tasks and supplementing labor-starved industries, AI is positioned as the primary engine to sustain China’s long-term economic growth amid demographic shifts.
Yet, the jump from digital chat to physical utility remains a formidable hurdle. While language models have scaled rapidly, integrating AI into the manufacturing sector requires a leap toward universal robotics—a transition experts at the forum compared to the scientific complexity of controlled nuclear fusion. This suggests that while the 'information world' has been conquered, the 'physical world' will require a significantly longer and more difficult research cycle before AI becomes a ubiquitous force on the factory floor.
Financial stability and labor relations also remain at the forefront of the debate. As capital pours into AI at an unprecedented rate, some analysts warn of a burgeoning bubble that could threaten the broader financial system if not properly regulated. Furthermore, the autonomy of these systems necessitates a complete reimagining of the labor contract. The consensus among scholars is that human-centric logic must remain the steering force, ensuring that AI development prioritizes public interest and market survival over pure technical speed.
To successfully 'harness' this power, China is looking toward a compliance-heavy regulatory framework that balances commercial interests with social stability. The goal is to foster a sustainable ecosystem where innovation does not outpace the ability of the workforce or the financial markets to adapt. In this new era, the survival of an AI product will likely depend less on its technical prowess and more on its alignment with human values and social consensus.