China’s Adoption of AI in Elderly Care

China has announced a new initiative to enhance elderly and social care through the integration of artificial intelligence and big data technologies. This development is seen as a crucial step to address the challenges posed by an aging population and a declining workforce in the country.

Government’s Stance

During the annual “Two Sessions” political gathering, civil affairs minister Lu Zhiyuan emphasized the importance of this technological push. ‘We will accelerate the development and application of new technologies and products such as big data and artificial intelligence in the fields of social assistance, elderly care services, and services for the disabled,’ he stated.

Demographic Challenges

With over 310 million individuals aged 60 and older, China’s population has been witnessing a decline for three consecutive years, prompting a governmental shift toward technology to support economic growth in the face of a shrinking labor force.

AI Implementation

Local governments are quickly adopting AI models, specifically from companies like DeepSeek, whose chatbot has demonstrated superior performance compared to its Western counterparts. Recent advances have been acknowledged by President Xi Jinping, who has called for tech firms to ‘show their talents’ at a concentrated meeting that included leaders from major technology companies.