Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

Themk emergence of DeepSeek has sparked a new wave of artificial intelligence (AI) enthusiasm worldwide. In particular, China has already entered an era where AI is being learned and used by its people. Local governments in China are promoting the deep integration of AI technology with administrative operations, developing intelligent agents to enhance efficiency in public services. Universities are offering courses, and even primary and secondary schools have incorporated AI into their curricula.

This nationwide trend of learning and applying AI is embedding the technology deeply into every corner of society, driving the widespread adoption of intelligentization and showcasing China's unique advantages and broad influence in the AI field. 

The enthusiasm for AI in Chinese society is closely linked to the rapid growth of the digital economy. As digital technologies become more widely adopted, an increasing number of Chinese people are experiencing the high efficiency, enhanced capabilities and lower costs brought about by the digital economy, leading to greater recognition of AI development. This recognition encourages more people to actively participate and explore opportunities for their own development with AI.

Turning AI's potential into a key driver for strengthening societal capabilities has become a shared objective in Chinese society. Unlike in some countries where AI is often seen as a vehicle for speculation of capital, in China, it has been seamlessly integrated into various sectors of social development, emerging as a vital force behind technological progress and improved efficiency.

For Chinese society, the progress of AI represents turning the impossible into the possible, replacing inefficiencies with enhanced productivity, and transforming high-cost efforts into cost-effective solutions.

Recently, the local government of Futian district in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, deployed 70 DeepSeek-powered "AI public servants" to assist in administrative governance. That the government takes the initiative to integrate AI into the administrative sector is a highly forward-thinking move. The government handles a large volume of daily tasks, many of which involve public interaction. The introduction of AI technology plays a key role in this process, enabling it to understand natural language and facilitate efficient communication, automating many repetitive tasks and significantly improving both efficiency and service quality. In the future, as AI technology continues to mature, similar cases will become more widespread, and the broader application of AI in governance will undoubtedly bring even greater benefits to society. 

In China's education system, the focus is on guiding students to use AI properly as an auxiliary tool for learning. Students are encouraged to use new technologies to solve practical problems while fostering information literacy among young people. Shenzhen University, located in Guangdong Province, has recently introduced an AI course based on DeepSeek. This offers students opportunities to engage with cutting-edge technologies and will help train high-quality talent with AI literacy for the future, supporting China's continuous development in AI. 

In addition, prestigious Chinese universities, such as Renmin University of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Zhejiang University, have incorporated DeepSeek into their curricula and research tools.

The enthusiasm for AI lies in the integration of technology with traditional industries and daily life, forming powerful and comprehensive capabilities that improve public safety, boost production capacity, enhance service levels and make life more convenient.

In fields such as electronic payments, mobile commerce and smart homes, China has made significant progress. All of this provides ample reason for the Chinese public to embrace AI. The enthusiasm for AI among the Chinese is reflected not only in the use of applications like chatbots but also in a broader range of cases and innovative practices.

"Innovation" has become a label for China. In the face of new technologies, China has maintained an open and proactive attitude, eagerly learning, applying and driving the transformation and advancement of AI technology, thereby continuously achieving new breakthroughs. 

As AI technology develops, China is poised to showcase its unique advantages in the field of AI applications. For Chinese society, AI is not just a technology - it is becoming an integral part of the lives of the people.

The author is director-general of the Beijing-based telecom industry association Information Consumption Alliance. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn