The number of artificial intelligence users in China has doubled.

The Use of Artificial Intelligence is Rapidly Spreading in China

According to a recent report published by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the number of users of generative artificial intelligence systems in China was 249 million in December 2024, and this figure is expected to reach 515 million by June 2025. In the first half of this year, 266 million new users began using artificial intelligence systems.

Reasons for Significant Increase

Research indicates that advancements in the logical reasoning capabilities of artificial intelligence systems and their ability to adapt to numerous practical application scenarios are primary reasons for this substantial increase in user numbers. Additionally, the reduction in model development costs and the efforts of artificial intelligence companies to create lighter, more user-friendly products for end-users also play a significant role.

Usage Rate Rises to 36.5%

According to the report, the rate of artificial intelligence usage at the end of 2023 was %18.8, while it rose to %36.5 in the first half of 2024. It has been observed that individuals in the young and middle-aged groups are using this technology more actively. The proportion of users aged 19 and under is %33.8, those aged 20-29 is %21, users aged 30-39 is %19.8, and those aged 40 and above is %25.4.

Preference for Local Versions of Artificial Intelligence

According to the survey, 90% of participants stated that their preferred models in artificial intelligence systems are domestically produced. Due to online access restrictions in China, foreign-produced artificial intelligence applications such as ChatGPT cannot be accessed without a VPN.

Competitive Artificial Intelligence Sector

The international successes of some large language models originating from China demonstrate how intense the competition in the country’s artificial intelligence sector is. For example, the R1 model developed by DeepSeek has exhibited superior performance over its competitors by utilizing low cost and fewer chips. Such developments are increasing the scale of artificial intelligence competition between the US and China.

In China, artificial intelligence models like Alibaba's Qwen, ByteDance's Doubao, and Baidu's Ernie are also widely used.