China Explores Token Business Models, Expands Data Labeling Pilots

At the 2026 China International Big Data Industry Expo, China's National Data Administration announced new policies. Director Liu Liehong said they will explore business models like token subscription and pay-for-performance. Tokens serve as a key unit for pricing AI services.\n\nThe administration will set up data labeling pilots in 32 cities, covering manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation. Data labeling tags raw data to train AI models.\n\nFor digital talent, multiple agencies will work together to improve education programs. By June 2026, daily token usage in China exceeded 500 trillion. The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, with Huawei Cloud and Baidu AI Cloud, has started preparing a token working group.