In April this year, an AI-powered toy named "Eyero Star Ai Companion" – developed in Chenghai, Shantou – made its mark on the global stage by winning a Silver Award at the A' Design Award & Competition, one of the world's largest and most prestigious design contests. With over one-third of the world's plastic toys produced in Chenghai, a growing number of local manufacturers are now leveraging best-selling AI products to capture new market opportunities.

Looking back at Chenghai's decades-long industrial evolution, this established manufacturing hub had long been trapped in low-margin original equipment manufacturing (OEM). Determined to move up the industrial chain, local manufacturers pivoted – with countless enterprises tirelessly refining original products, incubating IPs, and designing characters – successfully transitioning from OEM to proprietary brand development. Today, the region is once again embracing change, riding the wave of digitalization and smart manufacturing to break into the emerging AI toy sector. This new push is driven by a model that closely integrates manufacturing with services, opening a new chapter in high-quality industrial development.

An in-depth tour of the local industry reveals a highly effective industry-academia-research collaboration mechanism in full swing. Chenghai regularly brings in expert think tanks for on-site guidance, collaborating on technological breakthroughs in core algorithms, intelligent interaction, human-machine dialogue, and other critical areas – smoothing the entire chain from R&D and creative design to product launch. Across the district, a wide array of industrial design firms, technical testing agencies, and innovation consulting services are continuously easing the burden and empowering small and medium-sized manufacturers, helping them bridge the technological gaps in their intelligent transformation. The cultivation of smart demonstration factories, unmanned workshops, and lights-out factories is accelerating the replication and dissemination of advanced production models and digital management practices across the industrial chain, driving efficiency and quality improvements throughout the sector. Meanwhile, local exhibitions such as the Shantou·Chenghai International Toys and Gifts Fair have been upgraded to international events in just a few years, providing a higher-profile platform for industry exchange and exhibition, and opening up premium channels for market promotion and business matching for local AI toy brands.

AI，正在重塑“中国玩具之都”

今年4月，来自汕头澄海的一款AI玩具“AI守护星”站上全球规模最大的设计赛事之一——意大利A’设计大奖舞台，并斩获银奖。全球超三分之一的塑胶玩具产自澄海，多家企业正依托爆款AI产品打开市场。

回望澄海数十年产业发展之路，这座老牌产业名城曾长期困于低端代工的桎梏。不甘于停留在产业链底端的澄海人主动求变，无数企业埋头打磨原创产品、深耕IP孵化与形象创作，顺利完成从“代加工”到“造产品”的产业跨越。如今，当地又借着数字化、智能化浪潮冲入AI玩具新赛道，并依托制造业与服务业两业协同的全新模式，揭开产业高质量发展的崭新一页。

深入走访当地产业可以发现，产学研协同机制正在澄海这片产业热土高效运作，当地常态化引入专家智库驻场指导，围绕核心算法、智能交互、人机对话等关键领域开展联合技术攻关，打通从创意研发到产品落地的全链条通道；遍布城乡的工业设计、技术检测、科创咨询机构，持续为中小制造企业减负赋能，补齐智能化转型的技术短板；各类智能示范工厂、无人车间、黑灯车间的培育，让先进生产模式、数字化管理经验在产业链快速复制推广，带动全行业提质增效；玩博会等本土展会几年间升级为国际化博览会，搭建更高规格产业交流展示平台，为本土AI玩具打通对外展示、商贸对接优质渠道。

文、图 | 记者 蚁璐雅 通讯员 澄宣
翻译 | 徐芷晴
审校 | 曾敏