Remote county taps into AI buzz

The county, in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture in the southwestern part of Gansu, was struck by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in December that killed more than 100 people and injured many more. Coverage of the rescue and recovery efforts touched the hearts of people across the country.

It was the first time many of them had heard of Jishishan, which has no train station or airport and is a three-hour drive from Lanzhou.

The industrial park sustained little damage during the earthquake and has now resumed operations.

Zhang never expected to develop a close connection with AI, or that it would change her family's life for the better.

In 2019, Ant Foundation, the Ant Public Welfare Foundation, and the China Women's Development Foundation jointly launched the AIdol Plan to support the employment of women in underdeveloped parts of central and western China.

Wang Zhumei, an Ant Foundation staff member, said the project has established about 20 digital employment centers in places including Jishishan, Qingjian in Shaanxi province, Tongren in Guizhou province, and Shuozhou in Shanxi province.

She said the AIdol Plan has helped more than 4,000 people find local employment, and some of its employment centers have become the largest employers in their areas. Thousands of women have been able to step out of their households and achieve economic independence through the initiative.

An important part of Zhang's AI job is document recognition.