The comprehensive promotion of the "AI Plus" initiative is expected to be a key driver in cultivating new quality productive forces during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, according to an engineering expert.

Chen Xiaohong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the Xiangjiang Laboratory — the first provincial-level laboratory initiated and built by the government of Hunan province — said the strategic deployment recognizes artificial intelligence as a leading technology and will inject strong momentum into China's high-quality development.

"AI acts as the 'new electricity' of the digital economy," said Chen, who is also a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. "It is reshaping production paradigms by upgrading labor skills through human-machine collaboration, turning tools into intelligent equipment and transforming data into a crucial new factor of production."

This transformation is already visible in manufacturing. At the Zoomlion Smart Industry City in Hunan, AI systems cover the entire production process, shifting the workflow from "people chasing machines" to "machines revolving around processes".

Chen said the "AI Plus" initiative is injecting new vitality into traditional industries, which account for more than 80 percent of the manufacturing sector. She cited Qianjin Pharmacy in Hunan as an example, noting how the company used AI to reduce monthly production scheduling time from three days to less than 30 minutes, boosting output by 33 percent.

"These practices prove that AI is not simply replacing traditional industries but revitalizing them through technological integration," Chen said.

Beyond upgrading existing sectors, the initiative is also opening new avenues for growth. With the rapid iteration of large model technologies and declining computing costs, AI is facilitating the creation of new technologies and business models.

Chen said the Xiangjiang Laboratory has made key breakthroughs in areas such as intelligent stem cell preparation and embodied AI interaction. Its "Xiangjiang Xuanyuan" pathology large model has been recognized as an industry benchmark.

In the autonomous driving sector, the Changsha Intelligent Driving Institute has deployed the world's largest fleet of unmanned mining trucks, achieving transport efficiency of 104 percent compared with human-driven vehicles.

Chen said the development of new quality productive forces must ultimately serve the people. In Linwu county, Hunan, an "AI Smart Handling" government service window has reduced average response times to less than 10 seconds. In Changsha, the fully automated Dawangshan cloud bus has provided residents with intelligent travel options, helping bridge the gap between economic growth and public well-being.

To cultivate a stronger ecosystem for "AI Plus", Chen proposed a multidimensional approach.

She called for strengthening the technological foundation by focusing on core areas such as high-end chips and underlying algorithms to break through bottlenecks. She also urged deeper integration of AI across industries to foster new development tracks, while accelerating the establishment of legal and ethical frameworks.

"We must also strive to bridge the 'intelligent divide' by developing public-benefit products and building a strong security defense line to manage risks," Chen said. "Only by adhering to innovation-driven development and safety control can we fully release the surging momentum of AI as the core engine of new quality productive forces."