China has launched an “AI Plus Transportation” action plan to accelerate the large-scale application of artificial intelligence across the transport sector, the Ministry of Transport said Thursday.

The initiative covers 10 key areas, including intelligent driving, smart highways, intelligent railways, smart civil aviation and intelligent multi-modal transport. Guidelines for 41 key application scenarios have been issued, alongside the launch of the first batch of pilot projects.

AI has already been applied in 860 transport scenarios spanning railways, public transport, waterway, aviation and postal services. Railway operators are also expanding research into AI-powered train maintenance, autonomous operation and intelligent control.

Meanwhile, authorities are developing high-quality industry data resources and plan to establish a comprehensive data map within three to five years.

By 2030, multiple large AI models are expected to be deployed across China’s transport industry, boosting efficiency and supporting the sector’s digital transformation.