New National Standards for AI Terminals

On May 13, 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Commerce, and the State Administration for Market Regulation of China jointly launched the series of national standards titled “Intelligent Classification of AI Terminals” (GB/Z177—2026). This standard establishes an intelligence classification system for seven types of smart terminal products, including mobile terminals, microcomputers, TV receivers, glasses, automotive cockpits, speakers, and headphones, ranging from L1 response level to L4 collaborative level.

Addressing the Chaos of “Pseudo-Intelligence”

The government work reports of 2025 and 2026 emphasized the need to develop a new generation of smart terminals, stating the goal of promoting their accelerated adoption. However, the rapid growth of the industry has also revealed several significant issues.

The new national standard aims to resolve four core contradictions in the industry: vague definitions of smart terminal capabilities, significant differences in user experiences, a lack of unified evaluation criteria, and insufficient cross-category ecological collaboration. According to Zhou Di, an expert from the National Science and Technology Expert Database, the implementation of this standard signifies a shift from extensive scale expansion and chaotic technological exploration to a new stage focused on quality classification and value reconstruction.

Gao Zhengyang, a special researcher at SuShang Bank, emphasized that the introduction of this national standard is a reconstruction of the industrial order in the context of the rapid popularization of AI terminals. While China’s smart terminal industry has developed rapidly in terms of hardware scale, computing power, and AI function integration, issues such as concept overselling, vague capabilities, and fragmented experiences have emerged. Many products claim to have AI capabilities, but different manufacturers have inconsistent definitions, functional boundaries, and user experience standards, making it difficult for consumers to discern the true capabilities of products.

The core significance of this standard lies in its establishment of a unified language system regarding the definition of AI terminals, AI capability classification, and testing verification at the national level. The classification mechanism from L1 to L4 helps standardize market promotions and is expected to shift the industry from feature stacking to capability verification.

Guiding Supply Side from “Quantity” to “Quality”

The series of national standards for “Intelligent Classification of AI Terminals” clearly defines the capability requirements from L1 to L3, particularly setting measurable indicators for multimodal generation, task orchestration, and memory capabilities. From the perspective of new industrialization, the smart terminal industry cannot rely solely on scale growth but must enhance overall productivity through technological innovation. This standard provides a clear roadmap for quality upgrades on the supply side.

Zhou Di believes that the grading standards convert multimodal generation, task orchestration, and memory capabilities into quantifiable indicators, compelling terminal manufacturers to shift from merely pursuing shipment volumes to focusing on quality and supply upgrades centered around AI intelligence. Additionally, the standard will drive upstream chip, module, and algorithm companies to unify technical specifications and evaluation standards, reducing fragmented development in the industry and promoting standardized collaborative development across the entire supply chain.

Intelligent Levels as a New Valuation Anchor

The consumer electronics industry is currently facing serious product homogeneity and continuous pressure on profit margins. Several analysts in the capital market believe that the introduction of this standard is expected to create quantifiable dimensions for differentiated competition among terminal products, thereby influencing corporate valuations and industry structure.

Gao Zhengyang analyzed that after the standard is implemented, the pricing logic in the capital market will fundamentally change, with “intelligent levels” becoming a core consideration. Companies that can achieve L3-level products with stable experiences will form clear technological barriers. The past issue of uneven user experiences made it difficult for R&D investments to be fully reflected in product prices. Now, high-level certifications will make R&D results visible, allowing the capital market to provide valuation premiums based on core technological reserves and talent density.

Furthermore, the possibility that “L2-level and above terminals will receive higher premiums and policy preferences” is considered a high-probability event. Policies have already indicated that standards will be implemented in the 2026 consumer goods “trade-in” policy, accelerating the formation of a product catalog for AI terminals. L3-level terminals, which can actively understand intentions and execute complex tasks across applications, represent true “intelligent assistants” and will likely receive greater subsidies or priority recommendations in trade-in policies, becoming key targets for the government to promote.

In conclusion, the implementation of the national standard for “Intelligent Classification of AI Terminals” marks a significant step toward maturity in the consumer electronics industry, transitioning from merely having features to emphasizing the quality of intelligence. As standards for more categories, such as wearable devices and smart toys, are gradually introduced, a new ecosystem of smart terminals characterized by clear standards, tiered pricing, and competitive elimination is rapidly taking shape.