Last week at the East Tech West conference in Nansha, Guangzhou, business leaders came together to discuss how education, health care and food production can become more accessible throughout rural areas of the country.
According to a CNBC article, there were 209 million internet users in rural China last year, and the tech industry wants to capitalize on this. Considering the scarcity of teachers in rural China, the digitalization of education is necessary. According to a report by 500Startups, “China’s Education Ministry required governments at all levels to spend a minimum of 8 percent on digitalization of education,” and “55 million students in rural schools in China are now reachable by live-streaming classes.”
When it comes to health care, artificial intelligence (AI) seems like a promising solution to the unequal distribution of medical resources between rural and urban China. For example, telemedicine can help resolve issues associated with the nation’s growing and aging population, improving the distribution of resources across the nation. Furthermore, AI can positively impact agriculture, using IoT devices to track vital signs, ensuring animals are safe enough for consumption.
(Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/30/how-technology-is-changing-rural-china.html)
