The number of generative AI users in China exceeds 700 million, and the penetration rate exceeds 50%

China News Service, Beijing, September 29 (Reporter Liu Liang) A latest report released by the Institute of Policy and International Cooperation of the China Internet Network Information Center in Beijing on the 29th showed that as of the first half of 2026, the number of generative artificial intelligence users in China exceeded 700 million, with a penetration rate of over 50.0%.

The above-mentioned "Generative Artificial Intelligence Application Development Report (2026)" was released on the same day at the "2026 (Seventh) China Internet Basic Resources Conference".

The report shows that China's generative artificial intelligence application scenarios are showing a diversified development trend, and the potential of smart consumption represented by smart devices is accelerating.

Among them, intelligent question and answer is the main application scenario, and 76.0% of users said that they would let generative artificial intelligence answer questions. Judging from the number of users using various generative artificial intelligence applications, the number of uses of AI comprehensive assistant, AI efficiency office and other applications have increased by more than 100% year-on-year.

Smart consumption stimulates new consumer demands. The report shows that 38.7% of netizens have purchased smart hardware devices online in the past six months. Among them, wearable devices and 3C digital products are the primary entry points for Chinese netizens to access smart hardware devices. The proportion of netizens who have purchased smart wearable devices is 20.2%; the proportion of netizens who have purchased 3C digital products such as smartphones and tablets is 18.2%.

The report shows that as of June this year, China has cultivated and constructed 16 national-level advanced manufacturing clusters in digital industry fields such as integrated circuits and artificial intelligence. The penetration rate of artificial intelligence technology application in manufacturing enterprises above designated size has exceeded 30%. Artificial intelligence basically runs through the entire chain of R&D and design, production and manufacturing, quality inspection and operation and maintenance.

The application scenarios of embodied intelligent robots cover many fields such as industrial production, medical surgery, and life services. According to the report, in the first half of this year, China’s complete humanoid robot products exceeded 400 models, and the annual output is expected to exceed 100,000 units.

The financing scale of the artificial intelligence industry has reached a new high. The report shows that in the first half of this year, 1,255 artificial intelligence-related investment and financing events occurred in China, reaching 78.0% of the full year of 2025; the total amount was approximately 250.14 billion yuan, reaching 182.0% of the full year of 2025.