The inaugural AI+OPC Innovation and Development Conference concluded on June 30 in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, marking a strategic push to establish the city as a national hub for one-person companies (OPCs) in the artificial intelligence era. The two-day event, held from June 29 to 30, attracted approximately 400 delegates from government agencies, industry associations, financial institutions, AI enterprises, and OPC startup operators across China.
Centered on the concept of OPC—a new smart economy model where individuals leverage AI to operate as single-person businesses—the conference featured an opening ceremony and two parallel breakout sessions. Participants discussed AI innovation pathways and cross-industry integration strategies, aiming to inject momentum into Hangzhou's ambition to become a national benchmark for AI+OPC entrepreneurship.
During the opening ceremony, several key initiatives were launched. These included the 2026 national OPC development observation report, Hangzhou's 2026–2028 action plan and supporting policies for building a national AI+OPC entrepreneurship hub, and a catalog of actionable AI+OPC application scenarios. Attendees also received an in-depth interpretation of the specifications for AI-enabled OPC community services and evaluation.
Milestone ceremonies included plaque awards for Hangzhou's priority AI+OPC incubation communities and dedicated observation sites, the official launch of the AI+OPC Community Alliance initiative, and a kickoff marking the construction of the national AI+OPC entrepreneurship hub. These moves underscore Hangzhou's commitment to fostering a supportive ecosystem for OPCs.
The open forum featured keynote speeches from distinguished leaders, including Pan Yunhe, former executive vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at Zhejiang University; Liang Gui, former executive vice governor of Jiangxi Province and former director of the Torch High Technology Industry Development Center under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; and Zou Ling, head of Hong Hub, Shangcheng District's single-member unicorn startup acceleration community. Their presentations provided cutting-edge insights from academic, policy, and practical perspectives.
A panel dialogue followed, bringing together representatives from Moshu OPC Community (Beijing E-Town), the School of Future Science and Engineering at Soochow University, Qingju Hub · Future Digital Intelligence Port (Shangcheng District), and Puhua Capital for in-depth industry exchanges.
Concurrent events included an OPC capital-industry matchmaking salon, a symposium on industry-education integration for AI-powered OPC sectors, and a national exchange forum for AI+OPC community practitioners. These activities aimed to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing among stakeholders.
OPCs have emerged as a vibrant new engine driving economic vitality and high-quality development. The conference united OPC innovators nationwide, drawing on the creative energy of millions of independent super-individual operators. It delivered sustained digital momentum to fuel Hangzhou's super-individual economy while rolling out replicable local practices and actionable Hangzhou solutions to advance smart economies nationwide.
