Shenzhen – There is a kind of revolution happening at the Guangdong Software Development Company.
In just three months, Guangdong Create Science and Technology produces an average of 1-2 times per year, from around 50 software systems.
This is all thanks to an army of AI agents designed to autonomously replicate what corporate software engineers do at each stage of the development process.
These agents, deployed in May, can do things that took humans months in hours or days. “And you don't have to pay them,” he said. Han.
The use of AI gave the company a clear advantage over its competitors, he said. The company currently reduces prices by about 70% and can submit bid bids on the requested software version already surrounded.
“This is revolutionary,” he said. “Why don't people use it?”
Mr. Huang's companies are increasingly applying AI to workstreams. This is because China is stepping up its efforts to spread technology, which it sees as a way to turbocharge its economy.
Approximately 53% of 226 Chinese companies say they integrate AI into multiple workflows. World average, According to a May 2025 survey by consulting company Accenture.
Still, the government has a higher goal.
In late August, we released a roadmap to accelerate the integration of AI across China's economy and society, an initiative known as “AI Plus.”
We hope that AI agents and intelligent devices will exceed 70% by 2027 and 90% by 2030. More advanced than chatbots, AI agents can automate complex tasks and take action to achieve their goals with minimal human supervision.
Industry players and analysts spoken by The Straits Times say the adoption of Chinese agent AI has steadily risen this year.
According to August forecasts from HAP Academy, a Beijing-based high-tech industry think tank, the AI agent country's market is expected to reach 10.9 billion yuan (SGD196 billion) between 2024 and 2025.
Chengdu Minto Technology, the developer of AI agents, has seen demand for products grow by 30-40% in 2025.
“A lot of organizations are now actively embracing AI, starting with small applications and use cases,” he said, adding that most of his clients are government agencies and businesses.
For example, the Suzhou-based gas company has developed agents that cross the internal systems to provide Zhou's company with status updates on how the project progresses, highlighting if there is a chokepoint.
He said some government agencies are tapping agents that compile reports by analyzing data from multiple stations.
Zhou's company packs some of its AI agent software along with hardware to further increase sales. This is because Chinese buyers are generally willing to pay for the latter rather than the former. “When you buy software, you feel like you don't actually see anything. But when you buy hardware it's there right away.”
One such offering is a water bottle-sized cylinder that houses the digital Chinese god of good fortune that people can ask questions. The 1,999 yuan price tag comes with a subscription to the company's own Agent AI software.
Chengdu Mint Technology cylinder that houses the god of good fortune in digital China.
St. Photo: Joyce ZK Rim
Even as more Chinese companies are warmer with AI, attitudes towards this early technology will vary widely, From skeptics to passionate recruits, HAP Academy president Cao Kaibin said he surveyed around 100 companies on AI use this year.
He estimated that around 30% of Chinese companies were experimenting with using AI, and about 5% refused to use technology to stay ahead of their competitors.
The companies that invested most in AI agents were involved in finance, software, internet and manufacturing. This is the sector in which the use cases are most clearly defined.
Many of AI's most enthusiastic recruits are small businesses whose businesses are more agile and “we're more willing to try it if there might be risk,” he added.
For example, at a software company based in Guangdong, Huang is not baffled by handing the share of the Lion of software creation to an AI agent.
His engineer told st he would inspect the software before submitting it to a customer. “And at the end of the day, if the customer checks it on delivery, they'll know if it passes the requirement or not.”
Still, the “majority” companies based on the estimates of CAO. Recruit Waiting attitude towards AI. He said the important concern was that the technology was not accurate enough to be fully trusted by companies.
For now, only a few Chinese companies have reported significant benefits from AI use. In a report released in July this year, Accenture found that only nine percent of the 163 Chinese companies surveyed saw a significant increase in productivity, revenue, or profits as a result of AI adoption.
Meng Yin, founder of Light Technology at Shenzhen The Nine, a startup that sells AI agents, said one problem they face when trying to use the technology is the lack of clarity in what they need.
As AI use rises in China, questions arise as to what this already means weak Job market. In July, the unemployment rate among young people in China reached 17.8%. This is the highest level since August 2024.
Ms Woman Hua, who uses AI agents to help companies analyze risks and opportunities in their intellectual property space, said a report that could take a week can be made in just hours.
And her company continues to hire research and development personnel, but she thinks that. IThe TS demand for administrative staff, including customer service personnel who write these reports, will be significantly reduced.
“It usually takes about 10 or 15 people to serve 100 companies,” she said. “But with AI… maybe one or two will.”
