"We will use AI-based technologies to reshape government service processes. Our plan includes pilot projects aimed at providing smart government services and coordinating functions like policy analysis, department cooperation, and scientific decision-making," said Wang Lei, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area.
The Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area officially introduced the Yizhi Government Affairs Large Model Service Platform at the end of June 2024. The platform aims to support departments within the development area to embrace digital transformation by using large-model technologies. It is the first large-model service platform for government affairs in Beijing and serves as an intelligent technology-based system to help manage megacities.
Large models are driving the digital transformation of government services and exemplifying the rapid growth of AI. Beijing has worked actively to become a globally influential AI innovation hub in recent years. The city has expedited the adoption of innovative applications across sectors such as government affairs, industry, and public services. These efforts have significantly bolstered the city's development as an international center for science and technology innovation and accelerated its transformation into an AI-driven city.
Policies can greatly drive industrial development. Since 2023, Beijing has adopted a combination of policies and measures, including the Measures of Beijing Municipality on Promoting the Innovative Development of Artificial General Intelligence and the Implementation Plan for Accelerating Beijing's Development as a Globally Influential Artificial Intelligence Innovation Hub (2023-2025), to support and cultivate innovation in frontier fields, enabling a wide range of application achievements.
Autonomous driving testing vehicles undergoing on-road test of in-vehicle equipment in Beijing. Photo by Zhang Chenlin, Journalist from Xinhua News Agency
Beijing Daxing International Airport launched the first commercial pilot project for autonomous vehicle pick-up services at the end of June 2024. In front of the terminal, a self-driving taxi equipped with comprehensive unmanned devices approached smoothly. Mr. Zhang, a passenger who had just landed, opened the car door, fastened his seatbelt, and clicked 'Start Your Journey'. The taxi started automatically and drove smoothly into the airport expressway.
The breakthroughs and upgrades in autonomous driving reflect the practical services that AI can provide in people's daily life. Since the beginning of 2024, key locations such as Beijing Daxing International Airport and Beijing South Railway Station have gradually started offering autonomous vehicle pick-up tests and services. The Beijing Advanced Autonomous Driving Demonstration Zone, which spans 160 sq. km, has also begun operations. "We are working to expand the zone to 440 sq. km. We aim to facilitate the orderly availability of key hubs like airports and railway stations and make Beijing a model for the large-scale implementation of vehicle-road-cloud integration," said the head of the Beijing Advanced Autonomous Driving Demonstration Zone Working Office.
AI-supported ecological advancement serves as a new approach for Beijing to optimize its environment. At Nanhaizi Milu Park in Daxing District, Beijing, an AI-based identification system monitors birds in real time. This system, a collaborative result of the Beijing Milu Ecological Research Center and a team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, accurately identifies bird species. It provides more solutions for enhancing regional biodiversity.
AI applications can also safeguard public security. Beijing approved road tests for unmanned patrol cars in January 2024. Dozens of such vehicles are now patrolling around the clock in crowded and vital areas such as industrial parks, subway stations, and commercial plazas. These vehicles can also disseminate various warnings and helpful information to the public.
From enabling autonomous driving to reshaping governmental services, and from contributing to ecological improvement and to ensuring public security, numerous AI-based applications have been integrated into various industries, and what backs these applications is the readily accessible computing power.
With forward-looking plans for computing power, Beijing has deployed intelligent computing power exceeding 10,000 petaflops, equivalent to the processing capacity of five million desktop computers. Since the start of 2024, there has been a swift rollout of public computing platforms in areas such as Haidian District, Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, and Mentougou District, leading to a substantial increase in new computing capacity. In terms of data, Beijing has facilitated the open use of public data, including the Chinese internet corpus, to support the development of a collaboratively built and shared large model. Beijing has launched a pilot area for its basic data system, further advancing AI-based applications by leveraging strengths in institutional innovation, intelligent computing resources, and industrial ecosystems.
Comprehensive policy support, diverse application coverage, and substantial supply of basic resources are driving Beijing's rapid advancement into a city thriving with AI capabilities.
Statistics indicate that the value added of the digital economy in Beijing accounted for 42.9 percent of the gross regional product in 2023, with the software and information industry, including AI, experiencing rapid growth. The city is currently home to approximately 2,200 AI-related enterprises, nearly 40 percent of the country.
Lin Jianhua, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, noted that Beijing will focus on developing the entire AI industry chain in the time to come. This includes optimizing the investment and financing environment, fostering international exchanges and cooperation, accelerating the development of an industrial innovation ecosystem, and striving to become a national AI innovation hub.
