The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) plays a central role in the development, standardization, and governance of virtual humans (???) in China. CAICT has led the drafting and international standardization of virtual human technologies, with proposals approved by the ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union). These standards address technical frameworks, application systems, evaluation criteria, and security requirements for digital humans. CAICT has also released white papers, such as the AIGC (Artificial Intelligence Generated Content) White Paper, and conducted nationwide assessments of virtual human product capabilities, safety, and ethical compliance.
Their work spans from high-precision 3D avatars and real-time interactive systems to generative AI models for content creation, promoting their use in sectors such as education, healthcare, media, e-commerce, and government services. The organization collaborates with ministries, local governments, and companies to drive innovation in digital humans, while also leading initiatives like the “Metaverse Case Collection” and “AI Medical Device Innovation” programs. CAICT emphasizes regulatory frameworks and responsible AI governance, ensuring that virtual humans are developed and deployed with safety, reliability, and compliance in mind.
The China Film Artificial Intelligence Research Institute is part of the China Film Group Corporation (chinafilm.com). The group is heavily involved in digital human technologies and virtual production. Its AI initiatives are integrated into its broader digital filmmaking infrastructure, including the China Film Digital Production Base. These platforms support motion capture, virtual studio systems, and digital asset libraries. The institute participates in national AI and digital content development strategies and has showcased AI-generated short films and digital human innovations at major events such as the 2025 SCO Film Festival.
China Mobile Hong Kong (CMHK) is actively developing and deploying AI-powered digital humans across multiple domains. These digital humans are built on multimodal intelligent agents, hyper-realistic voice interaction, and 2D/3D avatar rendering technologies that support both cartoon and lifelike appearances. They are presented as highly humanlike virtual employees designed to integrate into customer service, product marketing, and brand IP development, with the aim of reducing labor costs and enhancing service quality. CMHK has highlighted these capabilities at events such as the Belt and Road Software Expo (Hong Kong) 2025 and the Hong Kong International Innovation and Technology Exhibition, where digital humans were positioned as one of the company’s four flagship enterprise solutions alongside cybersecurity, smart health kiosks, and business digitalization services. The company has also introduced branded figures like Joy-E, promoted interactive platforms powered by digital humans, and partnered with firms such as Huawei Cloud and SenseTime to expand applications in sectors including banking, retail, and property management.
Zhejiang Mobile has developed an innovative multilingual AI digital human video tool—dubbed “Multi-lingual Digital Human Video Sales”—to support cross-border merchants in Yiwu and beyond. At the 2025 AIGC & Intelligent Design Innovation Forum in Hangzhou, Li Haichuan (Director of Intelligent Vision R&D at China Mobile Zhejiang Innovation Research Institute) showcased the tool’s user-friendly design: merchants simply input product keywords and record a short audio clip (e.g. “12345”), and the system automatically generates multilingual promotional videos featuring AI-driven digital avatars. The solution enables 24/7 live-broadcast-style content at minimal cost, breaking down language barriers and significantly reducing production expense. This is already in active use among Yiwu-based exporters, helping them reach international buyers more affordably and effectively. (The domain vnet-ai.com is officially registered to China Mobile Zhejiang Innovation Research Institute, with an ICP license issued on July 2, 2025.)
China Telecom (chinatelecom.com.cn) has extensively integrated digital humans across multiple business sectors and applications. The company has developed hyper-realistic 3D digital human generation technology that can create lifelike avatars from just a few photos in minutes, with high accuracy in facial features, wrinkles, and skin texture details. China Telecom deploys digital humans for customer service, marketing, livestreaming e-commerce, educational applications, and government services, with their digital human customer service achieving over 95% accuracy in Q&A services. The company has launched specific digital human products including "Qianran", a hyper-realistic digital human for their music platform, and "Weiwei", a premium customer service digital human for VIP clients. Additionally, China Telecom has filed multiple patents related to 3D digital human lip-sync driving methods, cartoon digital human image generation, and digital human-driven video generation technologies, while also partnering with educational institutions and other companies to expand digital human applications in sectors ranging from healthcare and finance to tourism and smart city services.
China Unicom has actively integrated digital humans into its service ecosystem across culture, tourism, telecommunications, government, healthcare, and entertainment. The company has launched AI-powered digital human applications including virtual anchors, intelligent guides, performers, and avatars for live streaming and promotional videos. Its offerings include a virtual museum metaverse platform, digital cultural tourism services, and AI-generated avatars for video ringtones, business cards, and customer service. China Unicom also supports multi-modal digital human interaction using large models and XR technology, and has issued tenders for continued development and deployment. It has incorporated digital humans into internal functions like shareholder reporting and external engagements such as exhibitions, recruitment, and innovation forums, aiming to position itself as a leader in digital infrastructure and immersive AI experiences.
Chingmu is a Chinese company specializing in high-end optical motion capture systems and full-stack digital human solutions. It provides technology and services for real-time motion capture, digital human live streaming, 3D animation, virtual production, gaming, XR, and VR applications. Chingmu is recognized for collaborations with organizations like Sony China Research Institute to develop high-precision 3D reconstruction systems and has partnered with institutions such as Shanghai Film Art Vocational College, Bilibili, and Baidu for digital human projects. The company supports digital humans used in media, entertainment, education, and cultural tourism, including projects like virtual news anchors, AI hosts, and virtual influencers. Its flagship studio, MCP, is one of Shanghai's largest professional-grade motion capture facilities. Chingmu also participates in competitions and academic initiatives promoting digital content creation using its technology.
Chuangyi Technology (Shenzhen Chuangyi Technology & Culture Co., Ltd.), founded in 2018 and led by CEO Liang Zikang, is a pioneering Chinese company specializing in the development of hyper-realistic virtual humans and content-driven IP incubation. Best known for creating the viral virtual beauty influencer Liu Yexi, Chuangyi combines advanced technologies such as motion capture and CG rendering with cinematic short-video storytelling to craft emotionally engaging digital personalities. With a focus on narrative depth and immersive user experiences, the company positions itself as a “metaverse Disney,” aiming to build a dynamic IP ecosystem where virtual humans serve as emotionally resonant bridges between users and the evolving metaverse.
Cloudwalk Technology (cloudwalk.com) is a leading Chinese AI company that has developed a wide range of digital human technologies. Its platforms allow users to efficiently create highly realistic digital humans from uploaded facial images or videos, and the company offers solutions for virtual assistants, livestream e-commerce, cultural tourism, safety training, and smart city governance. Cloudwalk integrates its proprietary Cloudwalk Operating System (CWOS) and multimodal large models into digital human platforms, enabling applications in sectors such as education, healthcare, finance, and transportation. It has built comprehensive service platforms for AI-generated digital human video production, interaction, and broadcasting, and collaborates with partners including China Telecom and Shouchain Technology to expand use cases in cultural tourism and AI marketing. Recognized as one of China’s “AI Four Little Dragons” in computer vision, Cloudwalk is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
ChineseAll Digital Publishing Group Co., Ltd. (COL Group), also known as Zhongwen Online, is a publicly listed Chinese company (SZSE: 300364) specializing in digital publishing, content IP development, and AI-powered innovations. Founded in 2000 at Tsinghua University and headquartered in Beijing, the company operates across digital reading, educational services, cultural exports, and emerging technologies including virtual digital humans and AIGC (AI-generated content). Leveraging a vast portfolio of licensed and original literature IP, ChineseAll has developed virtual characters for applications in audiobooks, livestreaming, digital education, and the metaverse. It collaborates with industry partners to integrate 3D modeling, natural language processing, and digital human rendering into immersive storytelling and cultural preservation, such as the recreation of traditional figures like Yuan Kuocheng. With cross-platform deployment capabilities and a strong presence in domestic and international markets, ChineseAll is building a comprehensive ecosystem that bridges culture, technology, and intelligent media experiences.