China's NDRC plans oversight of AI employment displacement risks

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced new initiatives to monitor and mitigate the risks posed by artificial intelligence to the labor market. The government plans to align social security structures with changing employment patterns to protect workers from technological displacement.

Beyond labor concerns, the commission is focusing on regulatory oversight regarding algorithmic discrimination, privacy leaks, and deepfake technology. Officials noted the need to implement technological safeguards to trace and combat criminal activities, with a particular focus on protecting vulnerable demographics such as the elderly and minors from AI-related exploitation.

AI deployment in China has expanded from research labs to industrial and agricultural applications, with reports indicating over 56,000 operational 'smart factories'. As the country prepares for its upcoming five-year plan, the NDRC intends to prioritize AI integration in hazardous or high-labor-intensity sectors, including mining and emergency management, while establishing standardized frameworks to manage the broader socio-economic impact.