At the 6th China Internet Basic Resources Conference held on October 18, the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) released the "Report on the Development of Generative AI Applications (2025)". The report reveals that by June 2025, the number of generative AI users in China has reached 515 million, with a penetration rate as high as 36.5%. Notably, in the first half of this year, the number of generative AI users in China increased by 266 million, achieving an astonishing growth rate of 106.6%, doubling in user scale within six months, indicating that generative AI is rapidly integrating into the daily lives of various groups in China.
Zhang Xiao, vice director of the China Internet Network Information Center, introduced detailed data on user structure at the meeting, pointing out that young and middle-aged users are the main users of generative AI. Among all users, those aged 40 and below accounted for as high as 74.6%. Specifically, users aged 19 and younger accounted for the highest proportion, at 33.8%; users aged 20 to 29 accounted for 21.0%; users aged 30 to 39 accounted for 19.8%; and users aged 40 and above accounted for a combined 25.4%. In terms of education level, users with higher education, including those with associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and above, accounted for 37.5%, among which those with bachelor's degrees or above accounted for 28.9%, and those with junior high school education accounted for 29.8%. Zhang emphasized that younger, highly educated groups have a higher acceptance of generative artificial intelligence.
The report also found that Chinese companies have actively invested in R&D, and domestic large-scale generative AI models have gained widespread popularity among users. Over 90% of users prefer to use domestic large models first. As of August 2025, a total of 538 generative AI services in China have completed filing, and 263 applications or functions have been registered. The application scenarios of generative AI are very extensive, having deeply entered areas such as intelligent search, content creation, office assistants, and smart hardware, and are actively exploring and practicing in fields such as agricultural production, industrial manufacturing, and scientific research.
