China's artificial intelligence device market is already booming, and in the advanced technology race against the U.S., the country's expertise in hardware could give it an edge.
"The advantage comes from the fundamental root that China is a nation of manufacturing," Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of 01.AI and chairman of Sinovation Ventures, told CNBC. "Today, the competition is on the software, the models, the agents, the applications. But soon it will move to devices."
Meta has sold millions of its smart glasses since introducing the specs in 2023, and the Chinese have caught on, with more than 70 Chinese companies creating competing products in the space.
Eyewear from companies such as Inmo and Rokid are sold worldwide. Xiaomi and Alibaba 's are found only in China and are embedded with the tech giants' own AI.
Alibaba's DingTalk, a messaging platform for the workplace, this year released a credit card-sized AI gizmo meant for note-taking on the job.
The DingTalk A1 can record, transcribe, summarize and analyze speech from as far as 8 meters (26 feet) away, about the length of a large boardroom.
The device is similar to the Plaud Note, which is available in the U.S.
The device experimentation in China spans from the practical to the unconventional.
Chinese startup Le Le Gaoshang Education Technology released a "Native Language Star" brand translating gadget aimed at Chinese parents with limited English to teach English to their own children.