BOAO, HAINAN, March 24 (Xinhua) — The global epicenter of artificial intelligence (AI) development is gradually shifting from Europe and the United States to Asia, according to a report released by the Boao Asia Forum on Tuesday.
The report, titled “Annual Report on Asian Economic Prospects and Integration Progress 2026,” states that “Asian economies are rapidly evolving from AI followers to frontrunners, leveraging their vast digital populations, diverse application ecosystems, and coherent policy frameworks.”
The report pointed out that among major companies, China has achieved full-chain industrial maturity and demonstrated strong capabilities in large-scale implementation, while Japan and South Korea are focusing on high-end manufacturing and industrial automation. As a model for application-led progress, Singapore plays a pivotal role in governance innovation and serves as a platform hub.
According to the report, the fundamental drivers behind Asia’s “intelligent rise” are multifaceted, including essential institutional support at the national level, strong feedback loops of “application scale, data generation, and iterative improvement” that have accelerated industrialization, and deep integration with core industries.
By exporting technological solutions and practical implementation experience, Asian economies are gradually evolving from passively following the rules to actively participating in them and providing a pass, the report added.
Moreover, by leveraging the region’s complementary capability endowments, rich digital application scenarios, and systematic advances in collaborative research and policy coordination, Asia is uniquely positioned to pioneer the creation of a “multi-nodal, interconnected, and collaborative” regional AI innovation network, the report said.
“Such a network would significantly expand the region’s collective influence across global AI value chains, innovation ecosystems, and international governance discussions,” the report said. ■
