FILE: Shanghai, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Aerial shots of cityscape, traffic

Shanghai, China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Various of China's first AI-powered autonomous laboratory; automated robotics working; diagram on research results

Shanghai, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of humanoid robots
4. Various of visitors, products on display
5. MetAI Hub
6. Various of humanoid robot, AI products on display, visitors
7. Various of visitors trying out extended reality gear; products on display
8. Unmanned vehicles traveling

Artificial intelligence (AI) emerged as one of Shanghai's fastest-growing industries in the first half of 2026, with output surging 21.8 percent year on year, according to official data released on Monday.

Data released by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Statistics showed the city's gross domestic product neared 2.79 trillion yuan (410.9 billion U.S. dollars) in the first six months of the year, up 5.6 percent from the previous year in real terms.

The output value of Shanghai's three leading manufacturing industries, namely, integrated circuits, biomedicine and artificial intelligence, rose 14.5 percent from a year earlier.

Among them, integrated circuits grew 19.5 percent year on year, biomedicine saw a year-on-year increase of 7.2 percent, while artificial intelligence posted the strongest growth at 21.8 percent from the same period of 2025.

The figures underscore the city's efforts to foster high-end manufacturing and innovation as industry leaders are gathering in Shanghai for the four-day 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, which concluded on Monday.