AI chatbots are transforming rural China, aiding people with farming, business and daily tasks. Photo: XinhuaRural residents make up a third of China’s 1.4 billion population. That is almost 500 million people.
Because of China’s wide internet coverage and mobile phones, rural residents can use artificial intelligence (AI) services to help with farming and life.
One company that provides this service is DeepSeek. Other Chinese companies that have developed chatbots include Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holding and ByteDance.
Alibaba also owns the South China Morning Post. ByteDance owns social media app TikTok.
China’s top AI chatbots are easy to use and have quickly attracted many new users in the huge countryside.
For example, in Jiaohe – a town in the northeastern Jilin province – villagers use chatbots to identify plants and animals, review documents and ask for farming advice.