China to build data labeling bases nationwide

China will establish a data labeling base to facilitate the nation's artificial intelligence (AI) development, the National Data Administration (NDA) announced at the nationwide data work conference in Beijing as it outlined key tasks for this year.

According to the meeting, efforts will be made to explore the establishment of national-level data labeling bases, fully leverage local support and leading companies to promote the development of AI industry ecosystems, China Media Group reported.

Efforts also will be made to accelerate the building of a nationwide computing power network to address the growing demand of China's computing networks estimated at an annual growth over 30 percent, officials said.

The NDA is focusing on integrating the development of general computing power, intelligent computing power, and supercomputing power and coordinating the computing power across different regions.

Among the key work, the NDA will also establish a data property rights system, promote efficient and compliant data circulation and trade, and ensure data security governance.

Deploying these measures is crucial for driving the development of the digital economy, optimizing resource allocation, and promoting industrial upgrading, Wang Peng, an associate research fellow from the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The building of a nationwide data labeling base can allocate professional labeling resources to label data at high quality and large scale, improving the data quality for training AI models. It could also explore new data labeling techniques and methods, driving the overall advancement of the AI industry, Wang said.

The move to accelerate a national integrated computing power network will further enhance computing power efficiency, reduce costs, and support the development of the digital economy, Wang added.

China inaugurated the National Data Administration last October to promote digital development and enhance management on data regulation amid efforts to boost digital economy and data security.

So far 31 provincial-level regions in the Chinese mainland have established their regional data institutions, the NDA said.

China will launch an AI Plus initiative to promote the innovative development of digital economy, according to the Government Work Report.

The country will step up research and development and application of big data and AI, launch an AI Plus initiative, and build digital industry clusters with international competitiveness, read the report.