The Daily Planet #112: The China Shock, Part 13

In this last series of Daily Planets for the year, I want to talk about China's approach to AI, which concentrates on embodied AI such as robotics, and leans in on China's advantages in manufacturing.

China is making a major push into embodied AI, which means creating smart robots and AI-powered machines that can sense, understand, and interact with the physical world. Unlike many Western countries that focus mainly on digital AI like large language models, China aims to combine its strengths in AI software with advanced robotics hardware. This approach is part of a national strategy to boost the economy, address social challenges like an aging population, strengthen the military, and gain a global technological edge.

The Chinese government sees embodied AI as a way to revitalize its slowing economy by improving productivity in industries such as manufacturing and logistics. These smart machines can work alongside humans, learn from them, and take on difficult or dangerous tasks. They can also help care for the elderly, easing the burden on families. Militarily, embodied AI could lead to more autonomous and resilient combat systems that operate with less human control.

China is encouraging local governments and universities to experiment with embodied AI development, with regions like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong leading the way. These areas focus on different parts of the technology, such as AI chips, sensors, and complete robotic platforms. Major Chinese companies like Unitree, UBTech, DJI, Baidu Apollo, and XPeng are already making progress in robotics, drones, and autonomous vehicles.

Despite challenges like limited access to advanced AI chips and some reliance on foreign sensors, China benefits from a strong manufacturing base and vast real-world data from its many factories. Experts believe steady progress will continue over the next five to ten years, potentially allowing China to deploy embodied AI widely in the real economy.

Ultimately, China hopes that mastering embodied AI will not only solve domestic problems but also secure a leading position in the global race for artificial general intelligence, shaping the future of technology, economy, and military power worldwide.

Embodied AI: China’s Big Bet on Smart Robots

Beijing believes that true AI dominance will come from systems capable of autonomous operation in the physical world—AI-powered robotics, or embodied AI.