Editor’s note

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping China. From factory floors to smartphone apps, AI is driving automation, enhancing efficiency, and unlocking innovations that touch nearly every aspect of life. To capture this dynamic shift, this “New Frontiers of AI Applications” series explores the cutting edge – showcasing how AI is redefining key sectors and transforming everyday experiences.

INSIDE a smart greenhouse in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, two robots swiftly zipping through ridges between fields were on patrol training. With their high-definition cameras, these robots can snap real-time shots of crops’ growth and send images straight to the cloud.

“After integrating with the DeepSeek large model, our team trained the robots with tens of thousands of images to improve their pest identification accuracy, which has exceeded 80%,” said Wu Yuanqing, the robots’ developer.

Once the accuracy is improved, these robots can help farmers increase their decision-making precision in planting and efficiency of agricultural production, Wu added.

The rise of AI-powered agriculture in China highlights the government’s continued efforts to modernize its agricultural sector and accelerate rural revitalization.

Maoming, a well-known lychee-growing city in Guangdong Province, is a prime example of how age-old practices meet with cutting-edge technologies to create a smarter, more efficient, precision-driven local industry.

In February, the city completed deploying the DeepSeek model into its local AI assistant platform and integrating more than 5 million data points, including a lychee disease prevention database and detailed local meteorological records.

So far, 69 sets of 5G-powered Internet of Things sensors have been installed across 20 lychee-growing towns in Maoming, according to Xu Hong, an official with Maoming’s agricultural and rural affairs bureau. These facilities monitor everything from soil moisture to air temperature, generating real-time insights that allow farmers to anticipate and mitigate risks before adverse weather takes a toll.

Fueled by a surging demand, AI in agriculture has rapidly expanded. In 2021, China’s “AI plus Agriculture” market was valued at approximately 68.5 billion yuan (US$9.55 billion). That figure is projected to exceed 90 billion yuan by 2024, marking an average annual compound growth rate of around 10%, according to the Qianzhan Industry Research Institute, a Chinese think tank.(Xinhua)