China has been promoting artificial intelligence (AI) innovative development pilot zones at local levels, a Chinese official said on Saturday.

Last year, China started to build a new generation of national AI innovative development pilot zones, relying on local governments to carry out technology demonstration, policy pilot and social experiments, said Vice Minister of Science and Technology Li Meng at a press conference.

Li said along with the pilot zones in cities like Beijing and Shanghai, China has launched the country's first county-level AI pilot zone in Deqing County, Zhejiang Province last year.

According to a document last November, Deqing County is expected to rely its advantages on automatic driving, smart farming and smart governance, improve its AI infrastructure and promote the establishment of AI ethical norms, providing a county-level example for AI governance.

He added that leading universities, research institutions and enterprises in Beijing have started to jointly sponsor a new type of R&D research institutions, aiming at drawing together high-end talents around the world and boost original AI innovation.