February 6, 2026
Beijing – The number of generative artificial intelligence users in China reached 602 million as of December, an increase of 141.7 percent compared to the end of 2024, according to a report released on Thursday.
A report released by the Policy and International Cooperation Department of the China Internet Network Information Center revealed that the adoption rate of generative AI exceeded 42%, marking a significant increase of 25.2 percentage points from the previous year.
It states that generative AI is rapidly being integrated into daily life and the production sector, becoming a key driver of digital and intelligent transformation in society.
The report adds that AI can serve as a powerful tool for the transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises, effectively addressing the challenges of difficult R&D, high costs, and low efficiency. For example, a new energy company used an industrial vision quality inspection model to reduce the defect rate of its new energy battery production line from 0.3 percent to 0.05 percent.
The report states that SMEs are actively implementing AI, noting that 254,000 new AI software development SMEs were established in the first quarter of 2025.
By the end of last year, the number of Internet users in China had reached 1.125 billion. According to the report, internet penetration is now over 80%, allowing the benefits of digital development to reach a wider range of people.
