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EnglishThis article is from the WeChat public account | Choudai. Author | Shi Can
The Future of AI Applications Is Not Only in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen
In March, an "AI frenzy" filled the air across the country. DeepSeek became a sensation, and generative content flooded social media feeds. Entrepreneurs grew increasingly anxious: Will they be left behind by the times if they don't understand AI? After the Spring Festival, conferences, forums, and training sessions sprang up like mushrooms in Hangzhou, Zhejiang—seemingly, just talking about AI could open the door to the future. In this atmosphere, Wu Che's schedule quickly filled up.
Wu Che was originally a member of DingTalk's early founding team. Now he serves as the chief AI officer at Xin Fengwei, a digital service provider that has grown within the DingTalk ecosystem. In the past, his work was steady and predictable: clients were clear, demands were specific, and paths were well-defined. He helped companies with organizational digitization, productivity improvement, and cloud migration strategies to cut costs. It was an orderly kind of busyness.
Since November 2022, when the U.S. AI product ChatGPT exploded in popularity, Chinese businesses have gone through several waves of AI anxiety. At first, most bosses were merely surprised and curious, with only mild anxiety. By spring and summer 2023, anxiety intensified into experimentation—but the use cases remained vague, and the approaches unclear. In 2024, structural anxiety emerged: corporate strategy leaders had a sense of direction but struggled to find skilled executors.
After March 2025, everything changed. Domestic AI models surged in popularity, and corporate demand suddenly became both urgent and ambiguous—"We must do AI"—yet no one could clearly explain what "AI" could actually accomplish.
Industry anxiety drove industry demand, and Wu Che became their "lifeline." He constantly received calls from company bosses across different sectors, inviting him to join conference calls, in-person events, and industry summits. "The biggest difference this year," he said, "is that clients are coming to us proactively—but that proactivity feels more like a collective sense of confusion."
This anxiety and confusion aren't unique to a few companies. At a DingTalk summit in Hefei, Anhui, more than 300 pairs of eyes converged, and a palpable sense of urgency and unease spread through the room.
October 30: The DingTalk Anhui Summit venue, packed with attendees
This year, Hefei has become one of the fastest-growing cities for DingTalk's business. Since the launch of AI-powered DingTalk 8.0, many companies have proactively requested to activate AI features. In Anhui, more than 120,000 companies are already using DingTalk, with 50,000 based in Hefei—accounting for roughly 40 percent of the province. Among the more than 10,000 large-scale enterprises in Hefei, nearly half have integrated with DingTalk.
The boom in the Anhui market is no accident. On one hand, Hefei is known as a "venture capital city," with emerging industries—such as quantum technology, photovoltaic new energy, and power batteries—bringing advanced productivity and management awareness. On the other hand, local governments have rolled out a series of digital and intelligent transformation policies, making businesses realize that digitalization has become a must. Zhang Ziyou, DingTalk's regional head for Anhui, works to turn this awareness into action through summits, training sessions, and enterprise services.
Yet there remains a significant gap between aspiration and reality. In a video call, Wu Che shook his head and laughed, "We scroll through short-video apps every day, watching AI content, and it feels like AI already rules the world. But when you step into a real business, you find that many companies can't even use basic office software properly."
A research report released in May 2025 shows that Chinese companies' spending on AI is rapidly increasing—up about 200 percent year-over-year—with more than 40 percent of funds flowing into generative AI. Among nearly 3,000 surveyed companies, about half have already begun deploying AI, but most are still in the early stages of adoption.
What complicates matters further are regional disparities and knowledge gaps. In 2024, digital-industry revenue in eastern China grew by 6.5 percent year-over-year, accounting for 73.6 percent of the national total, while the central, western, and northeastern regions saw growth rates of just 4.2 percent, 0.8 percent, and 2.5 percent, respectively. Digital development remains heavily concentrated in coastal areas, with inland regions lagging far behind in infrastructure, talent, and awareness. According to Wu Che, companies in southern cities are more pragmatic, focusing on practical AI implementation, whereas northern firms mostly remain stuck at the "trend-awareness" stage.
To integrate AI more effectively into industries, DingTalk has taken a proactive approach. In less than two months, DingTalk's "AI 100 Cities Initiative" has covered 11 cities nationwide, hosting 11 DingTalk summits and bringing together more than 1,000 participating companies.
Inside DingTalk, the future of AI applications is seen not only in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, but also in "new first-tier" cities and industrial hubs such as Ningbo, Hefei, Wuxi, and Jinan.
In Yiwu, a city famous for its bustling business scene, there are 1.2 million registered business entities, including 860,000 individual businesses. The city's economic landscape is highly fragmented yet remarkably dynamic. Almost everyone is engaged in trade or running a business.
In October, Mo Shang and his colleagues traveled south from Hangzhou to Yiwu, conducting visits, surveys, and online monitoring to capture the latent needs of small and medium-sized enterprises and develop customized solutions.
Previously, he mainly served medium- and large-sized companies, but in Yiwu, businesses with fewer than 10 employees make up the vast majority. These companies rarely have a formal "management department"; growth takes precedence over processes.
So Mo Shang shifted his promotional strategy.
"In the past, we focused on HR, finance, and administration. Now, they care more about whether AI can help them save money and boost profits," he said.
For e-commerce clients, he recommends AI Tables. Previously, merchants had to hire designers to create graphics, costing a lot for just four or five images per day. Now, AI fields in DingTalk's AI Tables can generate images in bulk.
"AI can handle copywriting, translation, and inventory management. We'll help them build a CRM system using AI Tables." Such features are practical, down-to-earth, and directly relevant to Yiwu merchants. "As long as you show them they can save money and increase traffic, they're willing to adopt it."
But Yiwu's businesses don't exist in isolation. Mo Shang noticed that although these enterprises are small, they are embedded in a complete industrial chain. Behind each merchant, there is often a contract manufacturer, connected to manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and foreign trade. "If you talk to a shop owner, they may not have their own factory, but several factories are producing goods for them. Dig deeper, and you'll uncover the manufacturing end of the supply chain. The more you dig, the bigger the picture becomes."
This structure compelled Mo Shang to find a "layered penetration" strategy for DingTalk's rollout. He said that in the future, competition in AI will not be limited to algorithms; it will also involve a battle over computing power and data. Computing power provides the foundation, but data fuels the vitality—and the source of this data lies in the tens of millions of small and medium-sized enterprises across the country.
"What DingTalk is doing is essentially building a pipeline," Mo Shang compared the effort to repairing a water pipe. "Only by getting this pipeline fully operational and delivering top-notch services can water, electricity, coal—meaning AI capabilities, computing power, and data—truly flow into every small business." He paused, then added, "This can't float in the sky—it has to be grounded, even buried underground."
While Mo Shang was digging deep in Yiwu, the Yiwu-Ningxia Chamber of Commerce also became a key node in this "water-pipe repair project." The chamber brings together more than 100 member companies, spanning translation, foreign-trade services, and every stage of Yiwu's industrial evolution. Secretary-General He Yinglong has been using DingTalk since 2015, and today he is leading the chamber in using AI to reshape corporate management practices.
With the arrival of DingTalk's service team, the chamber began systematically introducing features such as AI Tables and intelligent approvals, helping member companies reduce labor costs and build basic digital systems. Some foreign-trade firms use AI for translation and image generation, boosting the efficiency of overseas communication and product presentations; smaller manufacturers use AI Tables to manage inventory, replacing traditional software.
Yiwu is one example; hundreds of kilometers away, Anhui is another.
As DingTalk's regional head for Anhui, Zhang Ziyou has spent the past six months crisscrossing the entire province. Whether in the manufacturing parks of Wuhu or the innovation incubators of Hefei, as soon as "DingTalk AI" comes up, business owners rush forward, asking, "How do we get started?"
On October 30, the Anhui DingTalk Summit sold out within a day of opening registration, despite having only 300 spots available. An hour before the event began, people were already scrambling for seats.
In Anhui, the pace of AI implementation resembles a "consciousness-raising movement": "Awareness determines corporate action and shapes corporate strategy," Zhang Ziyou said. Together with his team, service providers, and government officials, he is pushing business owners from "casual observers" to "active participants." Anhui's policies, industries, and atmosphere provide fertile ground for this initiative.
Take Lao Xiang Ji, for example—a chain with thousands of stores nationwide that requires extensive employee training. After introducing AI-based training, the onboarding period for new hires was cut by one-third, and efficiency soared several times over. Another example is Sunshine Power, which built its own AI assistant platform, deploying 27 intelligent assistants across different departments to speed up administrative, financial, and business processes.
Yiwu and Anhui, two seemingly different regions, represent two typical models for implementing DingTalk's AI: one focuses on embedding the pipeline into the densest industrial fabric; the other ignites the most vibrant manufacturing base with new ideas.
Together, they point to a common trend—AI's revolution will ultimately take place where businesses are open for business.
When it comes to digital transformation, private companies prioritize innovation and efficiency, while state-owned enterprises put data security and domestic deployment first. As a result, achieving digital innovation in state-owned enterprises is much more challenging.
Even so, innovation still emerges—and thrives—in state-owned enterprises.
A state-owned enterprise technical official named Li Zhengjun decided to use technology to solve port safety issues. His confidence came not only from his technical background but also from years of accumulated business experience, along with DingTalk and Tongyi Qianwen.
For more than 30 years, Li Zhengjun has worked on the front lines in corporate management, equipment technology, and information technology. He has held positions such as deputy general manager of Rizhao Port Iron Ore Terminal Company, deputy director of the Equipment Department at Rizhao Port Group, and deputy secretary of the Party Committee at Lanshan Company. He currently serves as the chief expert at Shandong Port Technology Group and holds the title of senior engineer.
Throughout his career, he has been troubled by the ultimate safety challenge: "It's hard to enforce safety regulations in enterprises." Yet he never stopped thinking about solutions.
Container terminals at the port, lined with shipping containers
In the fall of 2019, an idea struck him. While deeply pondering at a belt conveyor maintenance site—where dozens of kilometers of conveyor belts crisscross, with sixty to seventy lines intersecting and frequent overlapping operations—he realized that the most common cause of problems was operators failing to strictly follow steps such as power disconnection, lockout/tagout, and verification.
Some suggested using WeChat groups to transmit and display information.
"No," Li Zhengjun shook his head. "The messages are too chaotic. You can't string together a complete sequence of operational steps, nor can you continuously track or review the process."
What he needed was a clear, closed-loop, traceable digital "chain of evidence."
So he gathered a few younger colleagues: "I want every step of a high-risk operation to be captured in images and recorded—like a string of candied hawthorns."
The younger staff replied, "We can do that with DingTalk."
In October 2019, a rudimentary process—the belt conveyor maintenance procedure—was born: three key operations—before, during, and after the work—are all confirmed with photos, following a "three-in, three-out" rule. It's simple but addresses the core of the problem.
At first, some found it cumbersome, but attitudes quickly shifted. Team leaders said they could see the real situation; supervisors felt more confident knowing there was evidence to back up decisions; employees felt reassured, too. "Before, I always worried about making a mistake. Now, there are pictures to prove everything."
Once the system ran smoothly, Li Zhengjun refined the process, expanding it from belt conveyor maintenance to work at heights, confined-space work, electrical maintenance... Every high-risk operation now generates an independent "operation record chain," documenting who entered the site, when locks were applied, whether electrical checks were performed, and when personnel withdrew—all fully traceable.
Li Zhengjun named this system the "DingTalk Image-Recording Method." The technology relies on DingTalk's robust platform, while the name itself reflects the value of ensuring that regulations are "firmly nailed down." Together with on-site personnel supervision and port video-monitoring systems, the method forms a powerful oversight framework. With administrative support, the "DingTalk Image-Recording Method" has been fully implemented at Lanshan Company of Rizhao Port in Shandong, and other units have quickly adopted the process. More than a dozen subsidiaries of Rizhao Port have also begun using the system.
As a result, the "DingTalk Image-Recording Method" has received high praise from a renowned safety expert at Peking University and was included in the expert's book. "In terms of enforcing regulations, the image-recording method addresses three key aspects: accountability, execution details, and timing," the expert wrote.
By chance, Li Zhengjun was transferred to Shandong Port Group (Qingdao), and the group's safety department took notice of his approach: "Can this be rolled out across the entire group?" After a three-month pilot, objections turned into endorsements. The process is simple and low-cost, yet it provides a clear chain of evidence for regulatory compliance.
"Safety relies more on what you see than on what you hear," a grassroots team leader told him.
By October 2025, after six years of implementation, the "DingTalk Image-Recording Method" had been fully rolled out across 120 companies in Shandong Port Group, covering both the port's core operations and eight non-port business segments. The system runs 150,000 times each month, involving 30,000 employees, and has also been extended to external companies, with more than 2,000 process templates developed.
Driven by safety concerns, the first paying customer for the "DingTalk Image-Recording Method" appeared in 2023, and in 2024, a high-end manufacturing client joined the fold. A steel company under the CITIC Group also fully adopted the program. The method has since expanded beyond Shandong, reaching ports in Anhui and Zhejiang, and ports in Southeast Asia and South America have sought advice. The "DingTalk Image-Recording Method" has been upgraded and renamed the "Zhiyun Risk Operation Digital Control Platform," with an annual output value reaching tens of millions of yuan.
Li Zhengjun understands that DingTalk's ability to take root in state-owned enterprises lies not only in its tools but also in its "organized co-creation mechanism." In the second half of 2025, Tongyi Qianwen stepped in to assist with port management, helping to review images, generate reports, and identify potential hazards, further boosting efficiency.
Speaking about the value and impact, Li Zhengjun smiled and said, "You can't measure the value of a safety tool by counting the number of accidents. Its significance lies not in 'improving' things but in 'preventing' accidents altogether."
He added, "Over the past six years, every company that has used this system has reported zero accidents and zero injuries."
Ba Ming is the director of the Customer Service Department at DingTalk's Service Center. Their mission is to ensure that DingTalk truly takes root, becoming easy to use, durable, and trustworthy on countless corporate screens.
"We are DingTalk's gatekeepers," he said with a hint of seriousness.
DingTalk's growth story is also a shift from product-driven to service-driven. Initially, the platform won over small and medium-sized businesses with its simple interface and seamless communication experience. However, as the user base grew from hundreds of thousands to hundreds of millions, the complexity of the product and the diversity of industries became apparent. Even the best features can be sidelined without the right support to explain and implement them. As a result, DingTalk internally reached a consensus: service is no longer just a customer-support hotline; it has become the second pillar of DingTalk's ecosystem.
November 6: Ba Ming speaks at a DingTalk summit in Wuxi
With the advent of the AI wave, Ba Ming clearly sensed a shift in corporate sentiment—both anxious and excited. Many managers in traditional industries worry about being left behind by technology yet are eager to use AI to boost efficiency. They want AI to help optimize warehousing, reduce middlemen, and increase repurchase and shelf-life rates.
In response to these new demands, the role of the Service Center has also evolved. They are no longer just answering questions; they must become translators of AI implementation, turning complex technology into solutions that businesses can understand and use. Ba Ming said, "Our job is to turn AI into a practical tool in the hands of businesses, rather than an abstract slogan."
DingTalk has a long-standing tradition: senior management and R&D staff must personally serve customers. This is DingTalk's co-creation mechanism. Those who write the code must listen firsthand to customers' concerns and complaints, experiencing real-world usage scenarios. From why a new user can't find the entry point to an old user's doubts about a new pricing model, these seemingly trivial issues often become the starting point for product improvements. This feedback loop ensures that DingTalk's products continue to grow firmly rooted in the real world.
The name of DingTalk version 8.0—"Fern"—barely sparked any debate during internal brainstorming sessions. As one of the earliest advanced plants on Earth, the fern has deep roots, tough stems, and green leaves, allowing it to sink its roots into industries, rebuild its core from within, and flourish outward into the ecosystem.
October 30: At an event hosted by the Ningxia Chamber of Commerce in Yiwu, Zhejiang, participants discuss DingTalk's AI features
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