Guangdong Digital Human Timeline

Notes:

Guangdong has become a national leader in AI digital human development and deployment, with applications spanning governance, education, agriculture, healthcare, finance, media, and tourism. The province launched China’s first AI digital humans for rural insurance, policy advocacy, and medical guidance. Initiatives like the “Thousand Doctors Plan” aim to create 1,000 fully virtual doctor avatars for public health education. Digital humans are integrated into public services, including government consultation bots like “Sui Xiaoxin,” AI tutors, and 24/7 service agents in areas like housing, employment, and taxation. Guangdong’s institutions and companies—such as telecom operators, universities, hospitals, and media organizations—have created bespoke AI avatars for both internal operations and public engagement. The province is also advancing governance standards, having introduced the country’s first live-streaming compliance guidelines for AI digital humans and promoting their use in the “AI + everything” strategy.

The city of Guangzhou has rapidly developed into a major hub for AI-powered digital humans across multiple sectors including government services, media, education, healthcare, finance, retail, tourism, and live streaming. Numerous local companies and institutions—such as quwangroup.com, virdync.com, cyrinn.cn, xrnew3d.com, and gzdaily.cn—have launched applications ranging from AI news anchors, digital customer service agents, healthcare advisors, and digital educators to AI-powered policy assistants like “Sui Xiaoxin.” Government agencies such as the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology and the Taxation Bureau have integrated digital humans into administrative workflows. Guangzhou has also pioneered the development of regulatory frameworks for digital humans, including live-streaming compliance guidelines. The technology is being applied in public events (e.g., the Asian Games), in digital tourism (e.g., virtual museum guides), and in digital transformation initiatives for SMEs. Educational institutions and banks have initiated student competitions and training programs focused on digital human development.

See also:

China Meta Guide | Shenzhen

[Aug 2025]

2025

  • May 30, 2025 – Juchuang Video – Stated exploration of Al digital tour guides and navigation services based on large Al models while testing mainstream Al models.
  • May 24, 2025 – Guangdong Southern Telecom Planning and Design Institute – Applied for patent for system using big data and 5G to create emotionally realistic digital humans.
  • May 15, 2025 – Guangdong University of Foreign Studies – Introduced dual-broadcast format with Al digital human “Wang Xiaoxin” in journalism education simulation.
  • May 12, 2025 – Guangdong Yinglong Law Firm – Launched Guangzhou’s first Al legal education digital human system featuring “Xiao Peng” and “Xiao Luo” avatars.
  • February 26, 2025 – Yuan Fenshen – Integrated DeepSeek-R1 model to launch China’s first Al-powered one-stop IP video creation center.
  • January 19, 2025 – Yirun Health Industry (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. – Launched Guangdong’s first public welfare project integrating “Smart Health + Al Digital Humans” with Longjin Community Health Service Center.
  • January 2, 2025 – Tuoyuan Zhihui – Secured $13.7 million in Pre-A funding to advance Al digital human technology across consumer, entertainment, and retail industries.

2024

  • December 30, 2024 – Beijing Yiqiyuan Visual Technology Co., Ltd. – Transformed industries with digital humans blending realism and interactivity for metaverse experiences.
  • December 20, 2024 – Guangdong Al General Virtual Teaching and Research Office – Established during 2024 “Lingnan Science Forum” in Dongguan to foster collaboration in digital human technology.
  • December 18, 2024 – Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao forum – Digital humans emphasized as most popular Al track in mainland China with Guangzhou and Shenzhen having over 1,000 virtual digital human enterprises.
  • December 10, 2024 – Juchuang Video – Explored Al digital tour guides based on large Al models while providing VR digital tour guide services.
  • December 3, 2024 – iiMedia Consulting – Released 2024 ranking of top 10 virtual streamers with Guangdong Broadcasting TV’s “Yue Xiaoman” ranking #10.
  • December 2, 2024 – Southern Talent Development Research Institute – Showcased China’s first digital humans for veteran affairs officers under Guangdong Provincial Veterans Service Center guidance.
  • October 28, 2024 – Shenzhen Xiaoyi Zhichuang Technology Co., Ltd. – Held 2024 Al Agent Product Launch Conference in Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone.
  • October 5, 2024 – Guangzhou Institute of Science and Technology – Explored Al-driven Non-Player Characters powered by Large Language Models for anxiety management in video games.
  • September 24, 2024 – Guangdong health sector – Launched first full-scale digital human for medical science popularization and “Thousand Doctors Plan” creating 1,000 personalized digital avatars.
  • September 5, 2024 – Guangdong Open University – Research on real-time interactive campus virtual idol live streaming combining optical and inertial motion capture technologies.
  • June 26, 2024 – Cross-border e-commerce companies – Digital humans played pivotal role in Guangdong’s cross-border trade with import/export value exceeding 843.3 billion yuan in 2023.
  • June 9, 2024 – Sailing Power – Created Al-powered digital human for Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum using advanced language model technology.
  • June 3, 2024 – Early Lingnan Exploration Project – Utilized digital human technology to recreate Guangdong’s earliest inhabitants from 5,000+ years ago based on Modaoshan site findings.
  • May 18, 2024 – Guangdong cultural enterprises – Digital humans “Ai Wenwen” and “Tong Gujin” enhanced cultural heritage at 20th Cultural Industries Fair in Shenzhen.
  • May 17, 2024 – Guangdong cultural companies – Integration of digital humans in cultural industry with companies like Frontop Digital Creative improving virtual characters like KuGou Music’s Shanbao.
  • March 30, 2024 – Guangdong Jinfu Technology Co., Ltd. – Filed patent for “Virtual Digital Human File Streaming Method and System” with publication date December 2024.
  • March 11, 2024 – Shanghai Gaotoo Information Tech & Yashi Education Tech – Featured Hong Kong-American actor Daniel Wu as Al-powered English teacher with DeepSeek-based chatbot.
  • February 18, 2024 – Tech firms – Chinese companies introduced digital human solutions powered by DeepSeek large model at Shenzhen LED expo.
  • February 17, 2024 – Multiple companies – Showcased DeepSeek-powered digital humans at Shenzhen International LED Exhibition with Mengpai Group integrating DeepSeek into cloud platform.
  • February 9, 2024 – Research study – Al influencers build trust through appearance, autonomy, advice quality, and interaction based on study from Shantou University Business School.

2023

  • November 19, 2023 – Southern Finance Media Group – Introduced “Nanxi,” first ultra-realistic 3D virtual host on seventh anniversary with comprehensive brand upgrade.
  • September 23, 2023 – Guangdong Insight Brand Marketing Group – Unveiled hyper-realistic Al-integrated virtual character “Jiang Xiao Huang” with large Al model integration.
  • August 25, 2023 – Shenzhen SK Electronics Co., Ltd. – Introduced miniLED holographic glass technology for three-dimensional image effects without auxiliary equipment.
  • August 22, 2023 – Shenzhen University – “Living Heritage” project won attention at 9th China International “Internet+” College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition for preserving intangible cultural heritage.
  • August 9, 2023 – China Telecom – Hyper-realistic digital human “Xinyi” hosted entire performance introduction and Q&A interaction at mid-term results presentation.
  • July 29, 2023 – Hushida Al – Guangdong-headquartered company creating advanced digital virtual assistants using real person’s voice and likeness with 3-minute voice and 5-minute video samples.
  • July 21, 2024 – Agricultural companies – Al-driven digital humans like “Explorer” transforming Guangdong’s agriculture with projects including “Mr. Orchid,” “Pineapple King,” and “High-Intelligence Lychee.”
  • July 18, 2023 – China Telecom – Introduced ‘Xinyi,’ a new generation hyper-realistic digital human at 2023 mid-term results presentation.
  • July 14, 2023 – Unicom Online – Held “Starry Sky Plan 2023 – Al Digital Human Special Symposium” at Guangzhou Bio-Island.
  • July 13, 2023 – Tianyancha data – Over 687,000 existing businesses related to “digital humans” with 106,000+ new registrations in first half of 2023, Guangdong leading in geographic distribution.
  • May 19, 2023 – Southern Metropolis Daily – Launched “Lingmeixiang,” the first digital tour guide for Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area folk museums.
  • April 8, 2023 – Guangdong Mobile Shantou Branch – Released GPT virtual digital human customer service “Chao Zhixing” at China Chaoshan International Textile and Garment Expo.
  • April 4, 2023 – iiMedia Research – Successfully held 2023 (Second) China Virtual Human Industry Conference and AIGC Innovation Development Forum in Guangzhou.
  • February 27, 2023 – Hisense Jukan AR/VR Division – Wu Lianpeng presented application trends of virtual space and digital human interaction at FBEC Conference.
  • January 1, 2023 – Various companies – Over 570,000 virtual human-related companies existed nationwide with virtual idols appearing at New Year’s Eve parties.

2022

  • December 11, 2022 – Shenzhen Qianhai – Virtual digital human teacher “Mr. Yuan” conducted metaverse music classes for Guangdong and Hong Kong students.
  • November 26, 2022 – Mobvoi Inc – Showcased virtual digital human technologies and “yuan365” platform at China Hi-Tech Fair in Shenzhen.
  • November 14, 2022 – Tuoyuan Wisdom – Virtual Digital Human debuted at Zhuhai Air Show representing advanced aviation technology innovation.
  • October 7, 2022 – JD Cloud – Launched Industrial Digital Human Services across six major business scenarios including retail and finance.
  • September 8, 2022 – Wenbo Circle & Fantuo Shuchuang – Built “Wenbo Digital Live Room” featuring digital person “Ban Zhao” for cultural museum applications.
  • September 1, 2022 – Giant Step – Produced twin sister virtual humans ‘Kori’ and ‘Bri’ with special visual effects (VFX) concept.
  • August 13, 2022 – Multiple companies – Virtual Digital Human TOP50 Ranking (Phase 2) featuring 30+ virtual idols and 20 virtual employees.
  • July 14, 2022 – Baidu – Released Du Xiaoxiao, ranking #1 in virtual digital human business value potential TOP50.