Key AI guidelines unveiled

China unveiled a three-year plan on Thursday to boost the application of artificial intelligence in automobile, robots, healthcare and other sectors, in its latest push to upgrade the country's real economy.

The plan, published on the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said China aims to build a globally competitive smart internet-connected car industry by 2020, with breakthroughs in self-driving platforms.

AI-enabled services robots will also be widely used in China within three years, with focus on robots that can help senior citizens and children. Also, the country aims to accelerate the use of AI-enabled systems to assist doctors in medical cases, the plan said.