China Issues First National Policy to Accelerate AI Agent Industry
Three Chinese government departments have jointly issued the country’s first comprehensive national policy specifically targeting the artificial intelligence agent industry, marking a significant push to commercialize AI agent technology across multiple sectors of the economy. The “Implementation Opinions on the Standardized Application and Innovative Development of Intelligent Agents” identifies 19 typical application scenarios spanning scientific research, industrial development, consumer stimulation, public welfare, and social governance.
Landmark Policy Framework
The policy, published on May 8, 2026, was jointly issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). According to CCTV News, the document implements the State Council’s “Opinions on Deeply Implementing the ‘AI+’ Action” and provides the first regulatory framework specifically designed for AI agents, which the policy defines as “intelligent systems with autonomous perception, memory, decision-making, interaction, and execution capabilities.”
The policy establishes four key focus areas: strengthening development foundations, maintaining safety and security, driving application traction through identified scenarios, and building innovation ecosystems. It emphasizes a classified and graded governance framework to manage risks while encouraging innovation.
Market Potential and Industry Context
The policy arrives at a pivotal moment for China’s AI industry. According to iiMedia Research, China’s AI agent market is projected to grow from 804 billion yuan in 2025 to 6,968 billion yuan by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of 54%. The government portal noted that the policy aims to “promote the high-quality development, high-level safety, and efficient governance of intelligent agents.”
Wei Kai, Director of the AI Research Institute at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), told CCTV that automated machine traffic exceeded 53% of total internet traffic in 2025, with AI agent traffic increasing 78-fold in the past year. “AI agents will become the ‘protagonists’ of the internet,” he said.
Real-World Impact: From Factories to Humanoid Robots
The policy’s impact is already visible in real-world deployments. At a thermos cup factory in Yongkang, Zhejiang province, AI agents have transformed production. Factory manager Tang Xiaohui reported that per-person efficiency improved by 50%, delivery cycles shortened by 40%, and per-unit energy consumption dropped by 20%, following an intelligent upgrade investment of over 30 million yuan.
In Beijing, the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center has equipped robots with the “Huisi Kaiwu” intelligent agent, enabling spatial awareness and proactive service capabilities. Zhu Qiangang, head of embodied intelligence at the center, explained that the agent allows robots to remember user identities and preferences, delivering proactive service rather than simply responding to immediate commands.
Expert Perspectives on the Policy
Industry experts have broadly welcomed the policy’s clarity. Wang Lili, Deputy Director of the CCID Think Tank, described it as providing “stable policy expectations for long-term investment and a roadmap for where and how to use AI agents,” as reported by CCTV News.
Baidu CEO Robin Li, speaking to Xinhua News Agency, declared that “AI agents have broken out. For the first time, the protagonist of AI is not the model, but the application.” Li introduced DAA (Daily Active Agents) as a new metric for measuring platform prosperity, analogous to DAU in the mobile internet era.
Li Jun, Director of the Standards Institute at the National Industrial Information Security Development Research Center, emphasized the importance of security. “AI agents generally have high-privilege interfaces,” he told CCTV. “We need to accelerate application norms to make agents not only ‘smart’ but also reliable.”
The 19 Application Scenarios
The policy outlines specific scenarios across five domains: scientific research (scientific exploration and R&D assistance), industrial development (smart manufacturing, energy, transportation, agriculture, and financial services), consumer stimulation (terminal applications, cultural tourism, and commercial services), public welfare (education, healthcare, human resources, and information services), and social governance (government services, judicial services, public safety, urban governance, and bidding).
Security and Governance
Recognizing the unique risks posed by AI agents, the policy establishes comprehensive safety requirements. Xue Lan, Professor and Dean of Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University, noted that the policy “sets full-chain safety requirements, establishing the necessary trust foundation for large-scale deployment.” The framework includes provisions for data security, privacy protection, algorithm tampering prevention, and a classified governance system that applies different regulatory requirements based on risk levels.
What’s Next
The policy represents a strategic shift from model development to practical application deployment in China’s AI strategy. With provisions encouraging international expansion through global platforms and overseas compliance, China is positioning itself as a global leader in the AI agent industry. The coming months will see the development of specific standards by AI standardization committees and the implementation of the classified governance framework, as the country moves toward its ambitious market growth targets.