‘China shock 3.0’ is coming. And it’ll be AI-powered robots

AI Summary

China's upcoming 'shock 3.0' is expected to be driven by AI-powered robots, particularly in the manufacturing and delivery sectors. JD.com foresees robots replacing hundreds of thousands of delivery workers, with labor strikes looming at Hyundai over robotics deployment, indicating a significant technological and economic shift.

The world’s attention is fixed on frontier artificial intelligence (AI) models, but China’s robot-making factories deserve just as much attention. Chinese e-commerce company JD.com has predicted that robots would ultimately replace its 700,000 delivery workers, while workers at South Korean carmaker Hyundai are threatening strike action over issues including the roll-out of robots. These are early signs of what could be China’s next export shock. The first “China shock” was from its low-cost...