To thoroughly implement the decisions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on accelerating the innovative development of the artificial intelligence industry, and to carry out the requirements of the State Council's "Opinions on Deeply Implementing the 'AI+' Action" and the "Implementation Opinions on Accelerating Scenario Cultivation and Opening to Promote Large-Scale Application of New Scenarios", the "Scenario-Driven · Digital and Intelligent Powerhouse - 2026 Fourth National AI Application Scenario Innovation Challenge," hosted by the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence (CAAI), is about to commence. This event aims to accelerate breakthroughs in core AI technologies and industry applications, address major industrialization challenges, promote the high-quality development of general AI alongside future industries and the real economy, and accelerate the formation of new productive forces.

Guided by the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC and its plenary sessions, the Challenge accurately tracks global trends in technological revolution and industrial transformation. It deeply implements the innovation-driven development strategy and the "AI+" Action Plan, adhering to the organizing philosophy of "industry guidance, government support, market mechanisms, and industrial implementation." The competition continues to play an innovative driving role in "boosting research through competition, promoting evaluation through competition, guiding education through competition, setting standards through competition, attracting talent through competition, cultivating industries through competition, and holding exhibitions through competition." The Challenge focuses on major needs such as building a high-end and efficient intelligent economy, establishing a safe and convenient intelligent society, enabling a green and healthy intelligent life, promoting the application of intelligent industries, and empowering enterprise transformation for future ecosystems. It has also been successfully included in the Electronic and Information Competition Index for university students. The competition features 27 scenario-based thematic categories centered on key areas including AI+spatiotemporal intelligence, intelligent cultural tourism, AI+green agriculture and animal husbandry, intelligent low-carbon solutions, industrial intelligent safety, embodied AI, AI+silver economy, metaverse, AI+robotics, intelligent control, smart transportation, intelligent art, embodied intelligent robotics, intelligent marine engineering, intelligent hardware, intelligent terminals, and general AI. These categories aim to promote the commercial and large-scale application of AI in key industries, cultivate new AI-native business models and patterns, and contribute to China's efforts to empower new industrialization and high-quality intelligent economic development with AI.

The Challenge adopts two competition models: "open scenario" and "industry proposition." Contests will be conducted through key recommendation, online selection, industry advancement, roadshow competitions, and an awards gala. Teams (or individuals) meeting the competition requirements are invited to register and participate via the official website of the National AI Application Scenario Innovation Challenge (www.cicas.cn).

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