China Pushes Embodied AI Into Commerce Under Nine-Department Policy

China’s Ministry of Commerce and eight other departments have issued guidelines on accelerating technology-driven commerce. The document calls for creating intelligent application scenarios and cultivating new business formats around commercial AI agents.

It lists specialized agents for smart shopping guidance, business operations and logistics. The guidelines also ask relevant parties to promote embodied AI in the commerce sector and expand its use in home services and trade logistics.

For consumer-facing applications, the policy supports cloud shopping and cloud exhibitions, and encourages digital twin technology in consumption scenarios. Such measures are intended to enrich intelligent consumption experiences and improve operational efficiency across retail and services.

The inclusion of embodied AI in a nine-department document signals stronger policy backing for robotics and AI deployment beyond laboratories. It places commercial environments, from stores to warehouses and homes, among the priority testing grounds for embodied systems.

The opinions offer direction for local implementation rather than specific funding or quantitative targets. How quickly the measures reach commercial deployment remains to be seen.