Children interacting with an AI pet dog at a store of technology company Weilan in Nanjing, eastern Jiangsu province, in January 2025. - AFP
BEIJING: China had 515 million generative artificial intelligence (AI) users as of June 2025, with the user base doubling within six months, according to a report released on Saturday.
This figure was up by 266 million from the December 2024 figure, elevating the user penetration rate to 36.5% in China, said the report released by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC).
Generative AI is steadily integrating into the everyday lives of people across China, with young, middle-aged and highly educated users emerging as the core user groups, per the report.
People under 40 account for 74.6% of all generative AI users, and 37.5% hold a degree at the junior college level or above.
The report noted that Chinese-made generative AI models have gained broad popularity among users in China, and generative AI has been widely applied in areas such as intelligent search, content creation, office assistance and smart devices.
Its usefulness is also being actively explored in sectors including agricultural production, industrial manufacturing and scientific research, the report said.
It also noted that China's influence in the global AI landscape has grown steadily. By April 2025, China had filed 1.576 million AI-related patent applications, accounting for 38.58% of the global total – the highest share of any country.
AI has evolved from a lab concept into a mature service supporting hundreds of millions of users, according to CNNIC director Liu Yulin, who added that the surge in generative AI users reveals a shift from trial use to everyday application across the country.
The report was made public at the 2025 China Internet Infrastructure Resources Conference in Beijing on Saturday. — Xinhua
