China promotes data labeling to spur AI development

A visitor experiences artificial intelligence equipment at an exhibition in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province. [Photo for China Daily]

BEIJING - China has recently unveiled a guideline aimed at nurturing its data-labeling industry, as the country seeks to boost the development of artificial intelligence (AI).

By 2027, China's data-labeling industry is expected to have made strides in scientific and technological innovation, along with a substantial increase in industry scale, according to the guideline issued by state organs such as the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Data Administration.

To achieve the targets, the country aims to cultivate a number of influential data-labeling companies, while also establishing various data-labeling hubs nationwide that demonstrate significant achievements and distinctive advantages, as per the guideline.

The guideline also calls for efforts to promote the application of AI in areas such as government services, urban governance and rural revitalization.

As an emerging industry, data labeling focuses on processing data through filtering, cleaning, classification, annotation, tagging and quality inspection, thereby enabling machines to learn more efficiently and effectively.

The country will support the development of data labeling with favorable fiscal, financial and tax policies. It will also create or revise national standards for professions related to AI training and data labeling, according to the guideline.