Artificial Intelligence in China


Artificial intelligence in China has recently taken its individual place and became the core of a separate mission. China aims to be the leading country in the world in terms of AI presence. In 2017 government has issued a massive program of implementing AI in major spheres of life by 2030.

In China, a country that is becoming more and more progressive with implementing technologies in various fields, startups focused on artificial intelligent are the most successful ones. Many of them are engineering robots (ROOBO), or focus on the value for education (Bytedance, Liulishuo), or develop chips (Cambricon), etc. Startups like Appier and Tianrang are concentrated on solutions for data analysis, targeting the right audience and so on.

Some of the AI startups are deliberately established part of the governmental development programs. They facilitate the development of rural areas, also make centralization in China more efficient. However, there are more controversial talks on their purpose in some cases. For instance, recently 28 of such Chinese startups were blacklisted by the US (including the leading ones like SenseTime, Megvii and Yitu). They were accused of participating in repressive campaigns over minorities in China.



But what does AI mean for marketing?


Artificial intelligence has deeply penetrated all the spheres of life of the new Chinese generation. There are now a lot of popular expressions even making it clear that AI has created clans which are revealing the social trends in China. For instance, there is the infamous “ditouzu” which is a clan of people bowing their heads to face the phone. And buying staff from Tmall =)

Work and leisure all rely now on AI in 1st and 2nd tier cities of China, and there a plan aimed on the less developed areas to be overwhelmed by artificial intelligence by 2030. This opens the new markets to the ones who want to leverage from using AI and digital marketing to sell their products in China on a large scale.

AI has taken marketing on a new level. Digital marketing would never exist but for AI. The tools that we got here for penetrating the Chinese market only exist due to the existence of AI.

Let’s first take a closer look on AI.

What are the key elements of AI in marketing?

  • Big data

In marketing it is important to make sure the right person gets the right message in the right time. Big data is something that ensures the marketer’s success in collecting a lot of data and distributing it in a proper way.

  • Machine Learning

Marketing is also about understanding the behavior and its trends. Machine learning platforms facilitate this task as they help to analyse the behavior and give a chance to make forecasts.

  • Powerful Solutions

AI nowadays can understand people’s behavior and reactions in the same way that an ordinary human being does. So the solutions it gives are selected properly and also are less time-consuming.

 Why Marketers Should Pay Attention To AI


  • Intrinsic part of a consumer’s life

Artificial intelligence is everywhere in China. Being a consumerist society, it is tightly bonded with technologies in consumer behavior. They lean on AI who provides them with recommendations of what to buy, AI offers a chance to them to see what others are buying, AI helps them to track orders, AI lets them feel secure about the payments, etc.

  • It enhances marketing job outcome

AI is a tool to help marketers design more complex strategies, build more precise forecasts.

  • Individual satisfaction with buying experience

Consumers make use of AI when they are buying anything as it gives them more prospects to have their personal requests satisfied. This makes purchasing an addictive process bringing pleasure.


  • More intelligent search

As technologies are getting more advanced, humans are also getting more proficient in searching. So, AI used for search engines like Baidu in China help to analyse the newest search methods and trends and help marketers to leverage from that.

  • Smarter ads

Artificial intelligence makes it possible to make better use of any existent online data like WeChat or Weibo accounts, keywords used in Baidu, etc, as it can dig deeper, and bring about more analysis and then use it in ads. As people get smarter, they also cannot be attracted by simplistic ads of the past.

  • Refined content delivery

As it is now getting more and more important to give the right information to the potential client, AI gives a chance to analyse consumer behavior on an individual level. Like this, the content reaches the right person.

  • Relying on bots

Bots tend to substitute humans due to the way they manage information. As long as they can dig out insider information and combine it all fast, they are also able to deliver correct solutions faster.

  • Continued learning

Artificial intelligence provides humans with a chance to see what we cannot see ourselves. Information we use for developing marketing strategies sometimes is scattered over long periods of time and large scopes of big data. Years of development of digital marketing in China and the volume of search history on Baidu or things bought from Taobao created tons of information that should be traced and analysed altogether.

So what are the examples of using AI in marketing in China?

  1. Recommendations

Chinese online platforms like Taobao, Tmall,,, etc, all offer recommendation to their individual customers based on the content they normally browse through. In this way AI filters out unnecessary products for this of that customer and provides personal approach to facilitate the purchasing procedure. Besides, AI considers personal data which is provided by the users on the platforms like gender, age, etc.

  1. SEO

What is special about Baidu as an advanced search engine is that it provides analytical tools to marketers, enables them to get marketing campaign reports. Also it can make connections between various requests of the consumers and give out relevant results.

  1. Visual Search

It’s been a while since services like Taobao, Tmall, Pinduoduo offer their customers a chance to search products through a picture. How this might work for you if you are selling a product? Making a screenshot of an influencer displaying your product could be used on Tmall to search for you as the one who sells it.

  1. Social Reviews Analytics

Baidu Analytical systems make it possible to accumulate positive reviews about you on forums like Zhihu and place you on top during a search. What is specific about this is that people tend to express their feelings towards a product in many ways – not just “I am satisfied or no”, “The product is good or no”, so Baidu can extract feelings from indirect human implications.

  1. Efficient Targeting

Artificial intelligence in e-commerce platforms like Taobao, Tmall, Pinduoduo is responsible for simple targeting that relies on direct data about consumer’s age or gender and also more complex targeting involving the analysis of individual consumer behaviours. Targeting works well when it reaches the right person with the right product in the right time. It also takes season in consideration and long-term behavior dynamics.

  1. Chatbots

Any Chinese e-commerce platform, whether it Tmall, JD, Pinduoduo, WeChat Store has tools for automatic customer management, or chatbots. Chatbots are very effective for most common queries  like the time of shipment. For more specific product information normally a chatbot still gives space to human-run service.

  1. Keyword Analysis

Baidu advertising plan provides an inbuilt keyword planner that allows to make up a list of related keywords based on the core keyword. As well as that, the engine itself offers a list of augmented keywords that are also more specific. Keyword analytics can also be extracted from Baidu Feng Yun Bang.

  1. Product Focused Analysis

Baidu Index is a tool that helps to see the trends behind a particular query. This is especially useful in marketing as it shows how often and when people search for a product or a company, what they say on related forums, which category of consumers they belong (by interest, needs, location, age, etc.), and helps to make predictions as well.

  1. Website Performance

Baidu Analytics helps to review the behavior of website visitors and to evaluate the effectiveness of website data. It uses the details about on which pages visitors spend more time, how much time they spend per page, which keywords led them to the website.

  1. Logistics Enhancement

In China artificial intelligence is widely adopted in logistics. First, there an automised service Cainiao which belongs to Alibaba Group and contributes to a more smooth distribution of orders. Besides, has a fully automated warehouse. This all increases the productivity of logistics and reduces the cost. AI is also now on the rise when it comes to the new projects involving drone usage for delivery purpose.


It is obvious that artificial intelligence has taken over the new generation in China. AI has made it possible:

  • to buy more
  • to influence consumers
  • to analyse more


While AI is still moving forward to occupy the whole country of boundless marketing opportunities, WE can help you to extract maximum leverage from it.

Because we are the GMA  – Gentlemen Marketing Agency:

  • AI is our partner
  • AI is our employee
  • AI is our God

Come over to our office to get acquainted with all the powers of AI that we can use to the good of you and your business in China.

GMA Chinese digital ecommerce Agency GMA advertising Agency China


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