China's artificial intelligence boom is creating a new group of “individual entrepreneurs” who are turning their business dreams into reality with the help of technology, bringing a glimmer of hope to a bleak job market.
Although there is no government data tracking this group, the proliferation of affordable AI models suggests that the number of AI-powered solopreneurs in China is increasing. According to recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 30 million independent contractors in the United States, accounting for 6.8 percent of all economic activity.
In China, local governments are actively seeking to attract private enterprises (OPCs) as a way to harness the potential of AI.
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In November, Suzhou, a city in eastern China's Jiangsu province, launched the OPC Service Alliance to support sole proprietorships. Also last month, the city of Shanghai designated a building in Jing'an District for private businesses, providing office space and computing resources.
With youth unemployment reaching record levels in China, the opportunities offered by traditional employers are no longer enough for the country's millions of university graduates, making self-employment an attractive option for this highly educated group.
Graduates attend a job fair at Fuyang Normal University in eastern China's Anhui province. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images alt=Graduates attend a job fair at Fuyang Normal University in eastern China's Anhui province. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images>
Karen Dai, a 38-year-old entrepreneur from Shanghai, leads SoloNest, a growing networking group for solopreneurs. Since its founding last year, SoloNest has organized more than 100 events, attended by more than 2,000 people, she said.
Participants' endeavors range from online sportswear sales and content creation to software development, AI-generated pet portraits, and bar management.
Dai said the networking business became profitable soon after launching because of low overhead costs. She said her income was about 500,000 yuan (about 77,000 yen) a year, the same amount as her previous salary working as a full-time marketing director at an online education company.
Zai Gao, a 23-year-old self-employed designer and teacher at Shanghai Visual Arts University, found AI tools to be liberating. Gao, who has been working on AI-generated content for three years, said his income as a solopreneur is comparable to that of a graphic designer at a major tech company.
