Macau Digital Human Timeline

Notes:

As of 2025, Macau is actively integrating AI digital humans into its economy, education, and public services, with significant initiatives led by companies like Baidu. Baidu launched a localized e-commerce solution centered on its “Huiboxing” digital human live-streaming technology, offering traffic support, platform subsidies, and promotional events to help local merchants expand into mainland China. Digital humans are also being deployed in media, education, legal outreach, tourism, healthcare, and cultural promotion, often presented through full-body holographic systems or AI-generated avatars. Institutions such as Macau University of Science and Technology and government agencies are using digital humans in teaching, cultural storytelling, and digital marketing. The city’s broader push toward digital transformation includes the development of metaverse applications, AI companions, and multilingual digital humans, with strong support from local and national authorities to position Macau as a hub for AI-driven digital culture and commerce.

Macau Telecom (CTM) is actively applying AI-powered digital humans in its operations, promotions, and public engagement. The company has developed multilingual, multi-format digital human broadcasters to deliver policy messaging and product publicity efficiently, while also integrating AI avatars into exhibitions, youth career fairs, and customer service experiences. A prominent example is “Digital Human Anchor Zik,” who hosts CTM’s livestream program Digital Talk and presents event highlights, technology updates, and public service announcements. These initiatives extend into areas such as smart data services, localized AI voice engines, AI-driven customer support, and digital human–led healthcare demonstrations, aligning with CTM’s strategy to accelerate digital transformation and cultivate local AI talent through its City Digital Economy programs.

Macau Telecom, in partnership with Baidu Smart Cloud, is advancing Macau’s digital transformation through AI-driven tourism and innovation initiatives. In 2024, CTM and the Macau Government Tourism Office launched the “AI Macau Smart Tourism Service,” a multilingual chatbot powered by Baidu’s language models to assist visitors with real-time cultural, travel, and entertainment information, alongside a 5.5G-enabled smart tourism assistant for conventions and exhibitions. Building on this, CTM and Baidu inaugurated the City Digital Economy (Macau) Innovation Center in early 2025 at CTM’s Gaodi Wu Street headquarters, serving as a hub for AI, cloud, big data, and IoT development. The center, which also delivers Macau’s first AI training course recognized by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, hosts competitions and seminars to cultivate local AI talent and accelerate adoption across sectors.