China's ministry of development and reform focuses on AI risks and social safety nets for the next five-year plan

The National Development and Reform Commission held a press conference to outline plans for fostering new economic drivers. Wang Ruomeng, Deputy Director of the Institute of Innovation and High-Tech Development, emphasized strengthening monitoring and early warning systems for job displacement risks posed by artificial intelligence, while ensuring comprehensive and universal social security coverage. Regarding rights protection, the commission mandates using technical means to trace and track misuse of AI, such as algorithmic discrimination, deepfakes, and privacy breaches, to combat illegal activities and safeguard vulnerable groups like the elderly and minors. Furthermore, measures are being introduced to regulate human-machine boundaries and provide psychological support to address AI's impact on mental health. Wang Ruomeng detailed the strategy for the next five-year period, focusing on leveraging China's strengths in industrial completeness and application richness. The plan involves three synergistic approaches: focusing on specific high-risk scenarios like mining and emergency rescue (the 'points'); building industry-specific pilot bases in sectors like manufacturing and healthcare (the 'lines'); and establishing a robust policy framework to guide AI integration across industries (the 'surface').