In a move to solidify its position as a global hub for artificial intelligence, Shanghai has released a comprehensive guide for establishing a local AI standards system.
This initiative, announced as the city prepares to host the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), is designed to provide robust foundational support for Shanghai's AI ambitions and to offer technical and strategic contributions to the worldwide governance of the technology.
The framework, known as the "Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Standard System Construction Guide (2026-2028)," was jointly issued by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, the Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, and the Municipal Science and Technology Commission.
As AI rapidly reshapes the global economic landscape, standards have become a critical arena for international competition, serving as both a passport for technological development and a strategic high ground for industry.
The guide aims to seize this opportunity by leveraging Shanghai's industrial strengths and its advantages in standardization, with a particular emphasis on international cooperation.
The plan focuses on key sectors such as humanoid robots, digital creative design, e-commerce, smart logistics, and electrical transport equipment.
It seeks to foster international collaboration through standards related to open-source technology, data, models, and end-user devices, paving a new path for Chinese standards to gain global influence.
By 2028, Shanghai is targeting the development of at least three international standards and 30 national or industry-level standards.
Key Structure of the Standard System
The framework is structured around three core layers: technology, industry, and practical application.
At the broad category level, it aligns with national guidelines for AI standardization while adding a dedicated "International Cooperation" subsystem, highlighting Shanghai's vision to connect with global standards.
At the intermediate level, it introduces new standard development priorities in areas critical to Shanghai's strategic plans, including "data corpora," "intelligent communication networks," "integrated circuits," "biopharmaceuticals," "smart eldercare," and "open-source" technologies.
This is intended to precisely meet the needs of Shanghai's "3+6" new industrial system.
At the detailed level, the plan emphasizes practical implementation, ensuring standards are grounded, actionable, and effective by integrating them with real-world application scenarios and the needs of local enterprises and institutions.
Building a Comprehensive Standards Ecosystem
The guide outlines a strategy to cultivate a complete standards ecosystem across the entire value chain.
Upstream, it advocates for the application of AI in the standards development process itself to enhance digital and intelligent capabilities, creating a two-way empowerment between AI and standardization.
It also promotes the simultaneous development of national technical guidance documents with international technical reports and specifications.
Midstream, the plan aims to utilize Shanghai's concentration of testing, inspection, certification bodies, and leading brands to provide quality infrastructure for the AI industry's growth.
Downstream, the focus is on driving the adoption of standards in real-world settings by creating pilot projects for standardized AI applications, thereby generating replicable and scalable models of "Shanghai experience."
Over the next three years, Shanghai will use this standards system as a key tool to advance government, market, and international standards in tandem.
The city aims to synchronize standard development with testing, certification, and brand development efforts.
The ultimate goal is for AI standards to act as a true catalyst for technological innovation and a common language for international collaboration, contributing Shanghai's strength to the high-quality advancement of artificial intelligence.
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