Upcoming · Study visit & executive learning
A curated field-learning programme exploring China’s AI, digital commerce and robotics ecosystems—and the ideas that could apply in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Organised by BeyondPilot, with GenAI Fund as supporting partner
Why China, why now
While the US AI landscape is familiar, China offers a distinct view of the next frontier of technology and automation.
Physical AI and automation
China installed 54% of the world’s new industrial robots in 2024, showcasing Physical AI and automation at scale.
Connected digital commerce
Commerce, payments, fulfilment and AI services often run as one connected stack.
Chinese AI models
27.5% of 2,719 approved Agentic AI Build Week registrants already leverage Chinese AI models. Curiosity is turning into action—understanding the practical trade-offs matters.
Beyond the models. Beyond the headlines.
During recent visits across China's technology ecosystem, GenAI Fund's team met AI builders, explored robotics applications and observed how technology becomes part of everyday business and customer experiences.
These visits reinforced an important lesson: innovation is not only about technological capability. It is also about how solutions reach users, create measurable value and scale within their ecosystem.
01 · Shanghai
Building ecosystems around products
From NIO's community-led approach to WhalesBot's focus on robotics education and Agora's Voice AI applications, the experience highlighted how companies build adoption through practical use cases, communities and accessible technology.
02 · Shenzhen
Bringing Physical AI into the real world
Visits to robotics companies and experience centres revealed different routes to adoption: entertainment, industrial applications and developer enablement. Each offers a different way to test demand, gather feedback and commercialise emerging technology.
03 · Beijing
Turning AI capabilities into business outcomes
Conversations with AI companies, including MiniMax, 01.AI, Rino.ai and Kimi, highlighted the importance of go-to-market execution, partnerships and business models alongside technological progress.
Before you go
What can Chinese AI models do well today, and what trade-offs should a builder or business leader understand?
What does Physical AI look like beyond a demo, in manufacturing, logistics or everyday operations?
How do digital platforms connect merchants, payments, fulfilment and in-person experiences?
Which China-developed practices could work in Vietnam or Southeast Asia, and which depend on local conditions?
Programme overview
A five-day, four-night China Innovation Study Tour for business leaders, founders, investors, product innovators and ecosystem builders—with direct access to practitioners driving AI, digital commerce and robotics. This is an innovation research tour, not a sightseeing schedule: each visit is linked to a participant question, combining curated company and expert conversations, field observations, peer exchange and facilitated synthesis.
The pair will be matched to the cohort’s learning priorities and confirmed host access. Specific organisations and speakers will be announced only after they confirm.
AI and technology commercialisation, corporate innovation and business-model perspectives.
Suggested focus
Arrive and frame the questions
Cohort briefing on China’s AI and innovation ecosystem; set the question you want the tour to answer.
AI products and platforms
Selected AI, model or platform teams: how models become products and how adoption is approached.
The tour visits two of these three cities; the focus shown is indicative and will follow the final pair.
Illustrative itinerary
The final sequence depends on the selected city pair, host availability and flight schedule.
Arrive in the first city, meet the cohort and join a briefing on China’s AI and innovation ecosystem. Set the business or product question you want the tour to answer.
A BeyondPilot facilitator, cohort peers and a subject-matter expert, subject to confirmation.
Visit selected AI, model or platform teams. Explore how models become products, how companies approach adoption, and what is changing in the economics of building with AI.
AI founders, product and engineering leaders, or commercialisation teams.
Look at how platforms, merchants, payments and fulfilment fit together. Use company conversations and local observations to understand the customer journey and operating model.
Digital-commerce, retail-technology and platform operators.
Travel to the second city and examine robotics, hardware or manufacturing applications, depending on the route. Discuss what makes deployment work beyond a prototype.
Robotics and hardware founders, manufacturing operators or automation leaders.
Compare observations across the two cities. Build a Copy / Adapt / Skip view and prioritise experiments or decisions to take home, then depart.
Facilitated peer synthesis with BeyondPilot; post-trip follow-up is planned.
On the final day, the cohort turns observations into a clear view of what to apply at home.
Expected inclusions
A previous executive programme
Leadership Roundtable & Policy Exchange, Hong Kong — the National Assembly Office delegation with HKU Business School and School of Governance and Policy. A separate, completed programme for a different cohort.
Read the case studyBefore you register
Share what you want to learn in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen. Register your interest in the China Innovation Study Tour.
Questions? Write to general@genaifund.ai.