At the China Development Forum 2026, held in Beijing from March 22 to 23 under the theme "China's 15th Five-Year Plan: High-Quality Development and New Shared Opportunities," Zhang Wenzhong, founder of Wumart Group and DMALL, delivered a speech emphasizing the need for international collaboration in artificial intelligence.

Zhang proposed that in non-sensitive sectors like retail, new technologies should be granted greater room for experimentation and bold application. While AI may produce errors or "hallucinations," its significant benefits in boosting productivity and enhancing consumer experience are clear when implemented with human oversight.

Addressing the opportunities and challenges posed by AI, Zhang highlighted four key concerns: the risk of technology misuse due to insufficient awareness of inherent model flaws; potential system failures, especially when data quality is poor, leading to inaccuracies in automated replenishment and product displays; difficulties in assigning accountability; and the critical need for data security and privacy protection, particularly when handling vast amounts of product and user data across thousands of stores, which requires robust anonymization and user consent procedures.

To enhance the foresight and effectiveness of AI governance, Zhang put forward four recommendations. First, conduct scenario-specific risk assessments tailored to different applications such as membership management, intelligent customer service, and automated inventory checks. Second, establish data-driven monitoring systems to track AI performance across the supply chain and enable self-regulation using AI tools. Third, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating expertise from technology, law, ethics, and sociology to develop safer, practical solutions. Fourth, adopt a progressive governance framework that avoids one-size-fits-all approaches and instead focuses on modular, dynamically optimized solutions.

On balancing risk management with technological innovation, Zhang identified this as central to healthy industry growth. He advocated prioritizing value creation by using AI to streamline processes and reduce costs, ensuring equal emphasis on safety and efficiency, implementing tiered management strategies, and encouraging responsible innovation that aligns commercial and social benefits. As an example, he cited DMALL's AI expiration date management system, which cuts product waste, boosts economic returns, and minimizes consumer risk from near-expiry goods.

In conclusion, Zhang stressed that artificial intelligence is a global technology necessitating international cooperation. He called for dialogue mechanisms, shared best practices, and common standards to address worldwide challenges.