Smaller, family-run businesses in mainland China are adopting advanced artificial intelligence (AI) technologies more readily than large enterprises, according to industry leaders speaking at the inaugural Nusa Dua Forum in Bali on Friday, July 19th, 2026.

The forum, organised by the South China Morning Post and Indonesian sovereign wealth fund Danantara Indonesia, featured discussions on the AI economy and the digital transformation of factories.

Zhou Yuxiang, founder and CEO of Shanghai-headquartered industrial software firm Black Lake Technologies, explained that his company had shifted its focus from serving large companies to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and family-owned or independent businesses in response to growing demand.

"It's an interesting trend that I feel mom-and-pop shops are more open to agentic technology," Zhou said. Black Lake Technologies, founded in 2016, develops cloud-based solutions to help factories digitise their manufacturing operations and provides tools enabling small businesses to measure the results and returns from using AI agents instead of human workers.

Zhou added, "Actually smaller companies are benefiting from it already, but the bigger ones are still talking about it. When we talk to large enterprises about AI, their chief risk officers step in."

Panel speakers also noted that market agility and steady power supplies will be crucial in determining the winners of the global AI race.

Sources