Every year, Tianjin-based entities invest over 3 percent of their earnings in research and development, helping the city remain for many years running among the top ones in a national ranking of technological innovation capabilities.

Alain Benichou, CEO of IBM Greater China Group, said AI can play an important part in helping companies match consumer expectations, increase core efficiencies and differentiate themselves, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates digital transformation.

"Here in China, I have seen CEOs across all industries such as banking, manufacturing, retail and telecom are now very focused on pushing forward with digitalization and AI," Benichou said.

He quoted a recent study commissioned by IBM that found that over half of Chinese IT professionals say their companies are using or considering using natural language processing solutions to improve customer experience.