At the World Intelligence Expo 2026 in north China's Tianjin Municipality, a smart mirror provides an instant snapshot of a person's health status, a robotic arm deftly prepares a savory Chinese crepe, and a robot plays Go and tells stories to children, as what once seemed like science fiction increasingly becomes part of everyday life in China.

Concluding on Sunday, the four-day expo brought together more than 700 exhibitors, showcasing cutting-edge technologies, products and application scenarios in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).

Industry insiders at the venue said AI is accelerating its integration into education, public services, manufacturing and daily life, improving efficiency in traditional industries while creating new business models and growth opportunities.

At the booth of iFLYTEK Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese AI company specializing in intelligent speech and AI technologies, a smart blackboard named iFLYTEK AI Board drew widespread attention.

Combining a traditional chalkboard with an electronic display, the device digitizes handwritten equations the moment they are written, turning abstract mathematical concepts into vivid visual representations.

Similar AI-powered applications are already making their way into classrooms.

During a physical education class at Tianjin Second Xinhua High School, students squat, jump and land in response to instructions from an electronic announcer. Their jump distances are instantly broadcast by a voice system and uploaded in real time to the teacher's device, enabling immediate analysis of physical performance and fitness indicators.

"AI is transforming education in unprecedented ways," said Dong Bin, deputy general manager of the brand marketing center at iFLYTEK.

"It frees teachers from repetitive tasks so they can focus on educational research, while helping students spend less time on excessive drills and concentrate on meaningful self-improvement."

According to the company, iFLYTEK has provided smart education products and solutions to more than 50,000 schools across China, benefiting over 130 million teachers and students.

In the expo's embodied intelligence zone, robots of various types demonstrated their capabilities in real-life scenarios, including cooking, massage services, vehicle refueling and musical performances.

Among them was the Aimoga Smart Police Robot, a wheeled traffic-police robot that waved its arms with the precision of a seasoned officer while demonstrating its ability to direct traffic in real-world conditions.

The robot has already been deployed in several Chinese cities, including Hefei, Wuhu and Changzhou, serving as an intelligent assistant to traffic police officers.

"Equipped with lidar and 360-degree cameras, the robot is capable of autonomous navigation, environmental perception and human-machine interaction," said Chen Gaoyuan, a staff member at AiMOGA Robotics Technology Co., Ltd.

"It can assist with traffic direction and road patrols, and help discourage traffic violations, while also taking on repetitive and labor-intensive tasks during major events and holiday traffic peaks," Chen added.

Focusing on the development and commercial application of embodied intelligent robots, the company is accelerating the transition of robotics from technology demonstrations to real-world deployment.

Its humanoid robots, traffic-police robots and medical-service robots have been exported to more than 50 countries and regions, finding applications in automobile dealerships, exhibition halls, public-service venues, hospitals and traffic management.

Such popularity is also evident at the nearby booth of PaXini Technology. Specializing in multidimensional tactile-sensing technology and humanoid robot development, the company has already deployed its products on a large scale in precision manufacturing, automotive production lines and medical rehabilitation.

Its TORA-series humanoid robots can perform a wide range of tasks, including food preparation and delivery, coffee making, table cleaning, household tasks and other service functions, said Lin Tong, a senior executive at PaXini Technology (Tianjin) Co., Ltd.

Lin added that the company has established partnerships with several leading international firms, with its products and solutions serving markets across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

"China's embodied intelligence industry enjoys clear advantages in deployment speed, scenario diversity and supply-chain coordination," Lin said.

"With the world's richest manufacturing scenarios, comprehensive supply chains and extensive robot application environments, China provides a natural real-world training ground for embodied intelligence," Lin added.

Behind these increasingly rich application scenarios lies sustained policy support.

China issued a new generation AI development plan as early as 2017, and unveiled guidelines on further implementing the "AI Plus" initiative last year. The country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) also calls for fully implementing the initiative to foster AI-driven development, fueling the burgeoning growth of its AI innovations.

According to the National Data Administration, China has become the world's largest holder of AI patents, accounting for about 60 percent of the global total, while the scale of its core AI industry has exceeded 1.2 trillion yuan (about 176 billion U.S. dollars).

"AI is accelerating its deep integration with a wide range of industries, upgrading traditional sectors, and driving breakthroughs in productivity and efficiency," said Chen Jiachang, vice minister of China's Ministry of Science and Technology.

Chen expects technologies such as embodied intelligence, brain-inspired AI and brain-computer interfaces to create new growth areas and business models, heralding China's leap toward an AI powerhouse.