The Chinese government has been addressing both the opportunities and challenges brought by the fast adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) agents in China, our new Global Trends report highlights.

AI agents are now explicitly part of national policies such as China’s AI+ action plan. AI agents are also starting to appear in sector-specific policies, such as those addressing the increasing energy requirements associated with a booming national AI industry.

AI agents, categorized as a "hard tech" sector and closely linked to robotics and embodied AI, have also received funding support from both central and local government administrations, as well as from venture capital made available by Chinese big tech groups.

China is the first country in the world to specifically regulate AI agents

The fast deployment of AI agent services and applications across China required targeted amendments to the Cybersecurity Law 2016, as well as the issuing of a series of new regulations and binding standards by different authorities.

Some of the approved or proposed standards apply at national level. Many others were issued instead at local level, to address opportunities and risks identified in specific provinces, municipalities or high-tech economic zones.

The final part of the Global Trends report briefly presents on recent consultations on AI agents in other parts of the world, including in Singapore, France and the UK.

For more information and access to the full report, please click on “Access the full content” - or on “Request access”, in case you are not subscribed to our Global Trends service.