China - Recent Storyline: Young Chinese keen on AI consumption [Voice_over] In China, artificial intelligence is being applied to an increasing number of scenarios, from restaurant chefs and work assistants to leisure activities and high-tech devices, with demand driven largely by people aged 25 to 40. At this canteen in Shanghai, robotic arms make the food, and an AI "brain" takes care of customizing the menu to match the tastes of different groups of people. [Sound_bite] Kong Zhai, Vice president, e-commerce company in Shanghai: "We have added a 'brain' [to the canteen], with big data processing capabilities. For example, we can analyze dining habits of people in a specific area and accurately calculate the preferred flavors of the elderly or office workers there, including their preferences for oil, salt, and sugar usage." [Voice_over] And when it comes to devices, furniture and homeware with AI is exploding in China with the size of the country's smart furniture market expected to exceed 113 billion U.S. dollars this year. [Sound_bite] Wang Luyao, associate professor, School of Economics and Management, Communication University of China: "AI will continue to expand domestic demand and stimulate new areas of consumption growth, so as to drive overall consumption upgrades. It will foster a new mode of digital economic development that is powered by AI applications in different scenarios and promote the coordinated development of digital industries and the digital transformation of traditional industries, creating more job opportunities and greater value." [Voice_over] According to a report last year from the United Nations' World Intellectual Property Organization, China leads the world in Generative AI patents, filing more than 38,000 between the years of 2014 and 2023 compared to around 6,300 filed by the US during the same period. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]