An AI-driven robot (right) assists a traffic police officer in guiding marathon runners in Hangzhou, on March 29. [Photo/IC]

Zhejiang has issued its Artificial Intelligence Standardization Development Guide (2026 edition), filling a policy gap in the province's AI standardization framework and setting out a systematic action plan for the sector.

The guide targets the establishment by 2027 of an AI standards system that is coordinated, integrated, and suited to industrial use, while advancing standard research, formulation, implementation, and international alignment.

Under the guide, Zhejiang aims to strengthen links between standards work and industrial and technological innovation by forming a provincial AI standardization innovation alliance. It plans to formulate more than 150 standards, including international, national, industry, and local standards, by 2027.

The document identifies four priority areas for standards development: basic and common standards, key technology standards, industry application standards, and safety and governance standards. These cover fields including intelligent computing, large models, data processing, intelligent chips, brain-computer interfaces, multimodal agents, smart robots, intelligent connected vehicles, and AI applications in manufacturing, finance, healthcare, education, transport, and urban governance.

The guide also sets out three main measures.

Zhejiang will launch more than 50 standards-related projects by 2027 in areas such as intelligent vision, embodied intelligence, the metaverse, robotics, intelligent transport, and smart cities.

The province plans to add more than 30 standardization bodies and implementation sites in AI-related fields, while fostering more than 10 leading companies capable of formulating international AI standards, more than 30 enterprises able to lead on national standards, and more than 100 backbone companies involved in advanced group standards such as "Zhejiang Made".

The guide also calls for stronger coordination among government, industry, academia, research institutes, and users, along with greater policy support and talent development in fields including advanced computing, e-commerce, brain-computer interfaces, integrated circuits, and new energy vehicles.