https://j.people.com.cn/n3/2026/0513/c95952-20455731.html
Visiting Shanghai’s AI Store: Bringing Breakthrough Technology Closer to Everyday Life
People’s Daily Online (Japanese Edition), May 13, 2026, 13:56
An AI store has opened in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang AI Innovation Town. Spanning nearly 2,000 square meters, the space is filled with futuristic technology and feels like a futuristic “theme park.”
At the entrance, smart robots move slowly around the area, skillfully avoiding visitors as they approach. Many children follow them around with great curiosity. Nearby, a line has formed in front of an AI health screening device. After an elderly man completed a scan in front of the screen, a personalized health report was generated moments later, including evaluations of his heart rate, blood pressure, and sleep quality.
Further inside, a wide variety of AI products were on display. Among the most eye-catching was a smart cat litter box, one of the newest AI pet products. According to staff members, the device can not only record how often a cat uses the litter box and the duration of each visit in real time, but can also analyze the acidity and alkalinity of urine to help detect common feline urinary tract and kidney diseases.
Just two days after opening, the location had already become a new popular attraction in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang area.
According to Zhao Tongyang, founder and CEO of Yuanmeng Intelligence, more than 100 brands have already joined the store, displaying over 500 AI products. About 90% of them are made in China, and many are newly unveiled products that were recently shown at overseas exhibitions and have not yet officially entered the market.
Compared with ordinary AI retail stores, the shop’s distinguishing advantages are clear. In addition to offering traditional retail services where customers can “see, touch, and buy” products, it also includes experience zones and rental areas. In the AI robot experience area, visitors can use robots for short sessions at affordable prices. The 3D printing and laser engraving areas also offer low-cost hands-on experiences. Consumers only need to pay for materials in order to interact with high-tech AI products. The store also plans to launch rental services for robots and 3D printers, allowing consumers to try products before purchasing them and further narrowing the gap between AI products and everyday households.
As an AI ecosystem center integrating experiences, transactions, incubation, and exchanges, the facility is not a conventional retail store but rather a “super experiential space” designed to embed AI technology into real society. Here ordinary people can experience how AI changes daily life, and where companies can conduct product testing and industrial exchanges.
