# Will China’s AI-powered agribots repeat its EV success story? > Source: > Published: 2026-06-21 13:00:06+00:00 # Will China’s AI-powered agribots repeat its EV success story? Chinese tech and mass production capabilities could transform the nation’s farming industry with AI-enabled workforce [Mandy Zuo](/author/mandy-zuo)in Shanghai [China’s agricultural workforce](https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3346235/china-targets-record-food-security-push-shadow-us-israeli-war-iran?module=inline&pgtype=article)has more than halved, leaving largely the elderly, the infirm and the disabled to tend [vast expanses of farmland](https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3355837/china-backs-ai-gene-editing-bolster-its-food-security-risky-new-era?module=inline&pgtype=article), operating small-scale plots with relatively low efficiency. [tech revolution](https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347333/how-chinas-tech-transformation-putting-worlds-factory-tough-spot?module=inline&pgtype=article)may reshape this status quo, said Zhao Feng, founder of Shenzhen-based robotics firm GrainCore Dynamics. With its artificial intelligence capabilities and strength in mass production, Zhao said, China was well-positioned to overtake in agricultural robotics – in similar fashion to its rapid progress in new energy and electric vehicles (EVs) after lagging behind in combustion-engine cars. Chinese agriculture “may appear to have a serious ageing problem, but within this crisis lies opportunity”, Zhao said, noting that globally, only China possessed both the AI technology and the manufacturing capacity for robotics production at scale. [Chinese carmakers](https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3355519/europes-bet-chinese-ev-joint-ventures-may-be-solving-yesterdays-problem?module=inline&pgtype=article)trying to catch up with BMW and Mercedes – after 30 years we still hadn’t closed the gap on their century-old technological edge,” he said. “But then new energy vehicles gave us a short cut and we leapfrogged them in just 10 years.” GrainCore Dynamics is among China’s first companies focusing on integrating embodied intelligence into agriculture.