BEIJING, China (AFP) — China said Sunday it will accelerate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data in elderly and social care as it bets on new technologies to drive economic growth despite an ageing population.

The announcement comes as officials grapple with the country’s low birth rate and a declining workforce.

“We will accelerate the development and application of new technologies and products such as big data and artificial intelligence in the fields of social assistance, elderly care services, and services for the disabled,” Civil Affairs Minister Lu Zhiyuan said at a news conference during China’s annual “Two Sessions” political gathering.

The move would make services “more convenient, more accessible and more standardised”, Lu said.

China’s population fell for the third year in a row in 2024 and it already has more than 310 million people aged 60 and over.

As the workforce shrinks, the government has increasingly looked to technology to drive future economic growth.

Local governments have rushed to implement DeepSeek’s AI model into their services since the privately run Chinese company released the latest version of its chatbot in January.

DeepSeek’s cut-price model outperformed many of its Western AI competitors despite US curbs on sales of advanced AI chips to Chinese companies.

President Xi Jinping pointed to official support for the sector when he held a rare symposium for private companies last month that included several AI and technology bosses, telling them to “show their talents”.

DeepSeek’s founder Liang Wenfeng attended, along with representatives from top technology firms such as Tencent, Huawei and Xiaomi.