Insights | UN expert: China's AI factories showcase manufacturing strength

With 2026 marking the beginning of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, UN ITU Medical Metaverse Task Group chairman Robin Rowe told China News Network that China’s AI strategy emphasizes efficient coordination across farms, factories, and urban terminals, embedding AI into the real economy.

By contrast, the U.S. AI Action Plan focuses on building $500 billion in cloud data centers, using chips that will inevitably be obsolete within two years.

Rowe added that China is accelerating “lights-off factories” for 24/7 automated production amid an aging workforce, while the U.S. continues to rely on traditional manufacturing jobs. (Gong Weiwei)