Summary of Key Highlights
On August 28th, the "2026 DATA Night" event was held in Guiyang, with the theme "Data Empowering the Physical World through Intelligence." The event brought together representatives from government, academia, industry, and research institutions to discuss topics such as the value of data elements, the implementation of embodied intelligence technologies, and how the digital and intelligent industries can boost the real economy. The event designated 2026 as the "Year of Data Element Value Realization," during which Guizhou showcased its foundation in the digital and intelligent industries and its future plans. Experts provided insights into the direction of embodied intelligence technologies, and various initiatives were launched, including the release of industry buzzwords, the establishment of media technology standards, the inception of innovation laboratories, and the creation of immersive intelligent experience areas, all aimed at promoting the integration of the digital and intelligent industries with the real economy.
Detailed Analysis
1. National Policy Focus: 2026 as the Year of Data Element Monetization
Liu Liehong, Director of the National Data Administration, emphasized that data has become a dual-use asset: it is both a fundamental resource like land and oil and an engine for driving innovation. The government is promoting the collaborative use of public data (such as government statistics), corporate data, and other types of data to facilitate the entire process of identifying data ownership, pricing it, distributing profits, circulating it, and ensuring its secure management. This transformation will turn data from mere numbers stored in databases into assets that can generate economic benefits and contribute to high-quality economic development.
2. Guizhou's Lead in the Digital and Intelligent Industry
Luo Qiang, Vice Governor of Guizhou, highlighted the province's strong capabilities in this field. The digital industry cluster has reached a value of 300 billion yuan, and its computing power (the ability to process data) has exceeded 176 EFLOPS, enabling rapid data processing. Guizhou plans to advance initiatives like "Artificial Intelligence +" that integrate AI with industries such as agriculture and manufacturing, as well as to explore the "lexeme economy" (an intelligent economy based on elements like language and text). The province welcomes businesses to start ventures and jointly expand the digital industry.
3. How to Implement Embodied Intelligence?
Professor Mei Hong from Peking University explained that embodied intelligence, which allows AI to perceive and act like humans (e.g., robots), requires a combination of different components. The "brain" is responsible for decision-making, while the "small brain" handles specific actions. For industrialization, it is essential to establish a comprehensive process that includes setting goals, reusing skills, providing support services, and executing basic tasks. This approach ensures that AI can be applied in multiple scenarios (e.g., both cleaning and window washing). Li Haizhou, an academic from the Singapore Academy of Engineering, pointed out that training AI requires a large amount of manual data annotation (e.g., labeling images as "cat" or "dog"), which is both costly and time-consuming. There is a need for increased investment in domestic Chinese language data annotation and computing power infrastructure.
4. Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration for a Digital and Intelligent Ecosystem
People's Daily stated that it will leverage mainstream media resources to support the development of the digital and intelligent industry, producing high-quality content that establishes values for the intelligent era, creating valuable datasets for AI learning, and fostering an open ecosystem that enables the effective use of data elements. The event also released the "Generative Artificial Intelligence-Friendly Media Technology Standards" to make media content more structured (e.g., organizing news into categories like time, location, and event) for easier AI understanding and utilization, thereby maximizing its value. Additionally, the establishment of state-owned innovation laboratories aims to create a platform that promotes collaboration between central and local governments, as well as the integration of innovation, industry, capital, and talent.
5. Immersive Experiences
The event featured interactive areas that demonstrated the capabilities of embodied intelligence, such as robots dancing, object recognition, and voice interaction. There were also experiences related to Guizhou's local culture and products (coffee, beer, cultural crafts). The performance "Village T," which combines Guizhou's ethnic culture with technology, and the AI-composed theme song "Data Night: A New Chapter" were presented to give attendees a tangible sense of the potential of embodied intelligence and how it can integrate with daily life and culture.
This detailed analysis covers key aspects such as national policies, local practices, technology, ecosystem development, and user experiences, presenting complex topics in a clear and accessible manner that makes them understandable to non-financial professionals.