Editor's Note:

Amidst the wave of digital transformation, artificial intelligence is gradually transitioning from a cutting-edge technology to a core component of enterprise operations. As a pivotal driver for enhancing productivity, AI-powered office software has evolved from a standalone tool into a comprehensive intelligent collaboration platform, sparking a revolutionary transformation in office modes. Research data indicates that the market size of AI-powered office software in China reached RMB 30.864 billion in 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of 135.55%. It is projected to surpass RMB 190 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) as high as 57.75%. A large-scale and well-ecosystem AI office industry is rapidly taking shape.

The continuous release of policy incentives has laid a solid foundation for the development of the AI office industry. In August 2024, the State Council issued the "Opinions on Deeply Implementing the 'AI Plus' Action," explicitly integrating the deep fusion of AI with the office sector into the national strategy and advocating support for the development of enterprise-level application scenarios and AI office efficiency tools. This top-tier design establishes a support framework of "one body, two wings"—with enterprise efficiency enhancement as the core, and data security and independent innovation as the two wings—providing clear policy guidance for industry development.

Guided by national policies, local support measures have been swiftly implemented. By the first quarter of 2025, over 20 provinces and municipalities across China had released policies supporting the AI + office industry. Beijing established a RMB 5 billion AI industry fund, offering research and development subsidies of up to RMB 20 million for office software enterprises. Guangdong established AI industry clusters, providing individual enterprises with up to RMB 5 million in support for transformation. Shenzhen introduced comprehensive support measures, including office space, talent housing, and tax reductions and exemptions. Fiscal and tax incentive policies have also been significant, with the R&D expense additional deduction ratio increased to 100% in 2024, and AI software enterprises eligible for a value-added tax "immediate refund upon collection" rate of up to 85%, substantially reducing enterprise R&D and procurement costs.

Meanwhile, the continuous refinement of regulatory systems ensures the standardized development of the industry. The formulation of the "AI + Office Software Industry Standards" in January 2025 and the implementation of the "AI Application Scenario Regulatory Rules" in March have further refined specifications for technical parameters, API interfaces, and data processing, promoting the industry's transition from rapid growth to compliant and orderly development.

Large Models and AI Agents Reshaping Office Logic

Iterative breakthroughs in technological innovation have become the core engine driving the explosion of the AI office industry. From basic AI assistance functions in 2020 to the deep empowerment of large models in 2024, AI office technology has achieved leapfrog development. Today, general-purpose large models such as GPT-4, Zhipu GLM-4, and ERNIE Bot, along with specialized models for vertical office scenarios, work in tandem. Enhanced multimodal capabilities enable AI to comprehensively process diverse data types, including text, images, tables, and audio, achieving over 92% accuracy in content recognition for PPT scenarios.

The rise of AI Agent technology is reshaping office workflow paradigms. Through task decomposition, tool invocation, and autonomous decision-making, AI Agents can independently complete complex tasks such as PPT creation, data analysis, and meeting minute compilation, boosting office efficiency by over 50%. By 2025, the penetration rate of AI Agent applications among Chinese enterprises had reached 28.7%, with penetration rates of 72%, 68%, and 54% in PPT/presentation creation, document editing/writing, and data analysis/charting scenarios, respectively. The AI Agent market size is projected to reach RMB 24 billion by 2026.

The opening up of API ecosystems has accelerated the large-scale application of AI capabilities. In 2025, the number of AI office API calls in China increased by 216% year-on-year, with the growth rate of enterprise private API platform construction reaching 143% and the proportion of customized API demand as high as 67%.

Technological evolution is driving the transformation of AI office software from a standalone tool to a comprehensive intelligent platform. In 2025, the ranking of key indicators for enterprises choosing AI office platforms shows that data security compliance, API openness, customization, and full-process integration have become core considerations. This trend has fostered a new competitive landscape of "technology + scenarios + compliance," with solutions featuring multimodal understanding, industry model customization, and private deployment capabilities becoming mainstream in the market.

Shifting Toward Full-Process Intelligence

The rapid expansion and structural optimization of market size demonstrate the strong development vitality of the AI office industry. In terms of market composition, AI + word processing software accounts for 39%, communication and collaboration tools for 23%, presentation and collaboration tools for 21%, data processing tools for 13%, and project management tools for 4%, forming a diversified product matrix. Among them, AI PPT, as a core representative of the niche sector, has become a focal point in the enterprise market due to its significant efficiency enhancement value, with 53% of users reporting that intelligent PPT saves 30%-50% of creation time.

Upgraded user demands are driving continuous product iteration. AI office users have shifted from early pursuits of basic efficiency improvements to high-level demands for full-process intelligence. According to iResearch Consulting, 75.2% of intelligent PPT users hold a bachelor's degree or higher, with enterprise users accounting for 68%, primarily concentrated in professional groups such as sales, management, marketing, and teachers. They are no longer satisfied with simple text-to-PPT conversion and template application functions but are more concerned with advanced needs such as intelligent citation tracing, data visualization, private knowledge base integration, and brand customization.

Differentiated demands across industries are driving products to deepen vertical integration. The government sector emphasizes content compliance and private deployment, the financial sector focuses on professional terminology accuracy and data traceability, the education sector highlights content accuracy and teaching interaction experiences, while the manufacturing/energy sectors require adaptation to complex data reporting and cross-departmental collaboration scenarios. In response to these demands, leading vendors have launched industry-customized solutions, enhancing product scenario adaptability through industry model fine-tuning, professional terminology library construction, and exclusive template design.

Quantified efficiency improvement data has become the core driver for enterprises to adopt AI office tools. Data shows that AI office tools can enhance work efficiency by an average of 64.3%, with efficiency improvements of 73.3% in PPT creation and presentation scenarios, 71.1% in meeting minute compilation, and 69.4% in data analysis report generation. From a departmental perspective, the sales department saves 52% of time, with a 28% increase in proposal conversion rates and an investment return period of only 4.5 months. The marketing department saves 48% of time, with a 37% improvement in visual expression and an ROI of 5.2 months. After adopting AI office tools, enterprises can reduce average operational costs by 35%, with an investment return period of only 6.8 months. The significant input-output ratio accelerates market penetration.

Accelerating Evolution Toward a Business Flow Content Hub and Full-Link Intelligent Collaboration Platform

Looking ahead, the AI office industry will enter the second half of full-link intelligence. Industry experts point out that from 2025 to 2028, AI office software will accelerate its evolution from a standalone tool to a business flow content hub and a full-link intelligent collaboration platform, with the competitive core shifting from usability to ecological integration capabilities. It is projected that by 2026, the penetration rate of AI office software will exceed 80%, AI Agents will replace 60% of repetitive office tasks, industry-specific large models will become mainstream, and API ecosystems will become the core of platform competition.

Technological development will exhibit four major trends: multimodal creation will become standard, with the integration of diverse data types such as text, images, videos, and audio becoming a standard feature of AI office; intelligent assistants will become deeply customized, with enterprise-specific AI assistants mastering organizational knowledge, processes, and preferences to provide truly personalized work assistance; cross-software collaboration will become seamless, with AI ecosystems breaking down information silos to enable cross-platform and cross-application seamless collaboration; and full-process data security will be reinforced, with enterprise-level AI office tools achieving full-link auditability in data privacy protection and security compliance.

The market landscape will evolve toward a multipolar direction. Traditional office software vendors, internet platform giants, AI startups, and industry-customized service providers will form an ecosystem of complementary strengths and collaborative development. It is expected that within the next 18 months, the industry will witness 3-5 significant merger and acquisition events, accelerating market resource integration. The CR3 concentration ratio will further increase from the current 81.6% to over 85%, forming an oligopolistic competitive landscape. AI startups focusing on niche scenarios will co-build open ecosystems with traditional office giants through technological innovation and scenario deepening, with vertical tracks emerging as a key feature of industry development.

For enterprises, seizing the opportunities of AI office development requires adhering to four strategies: scenario-driven, starting from high-frequency pain point scenarios, focusing on clear ROI, and establishing digital transformation measurement standards; full-staff empowerment, comprehensively cultivating employees' AI literacy, and building a digital skills enhancement system and incentive mechanism; open integration, selecting AI office solutions with open APIs and ecological compatibility to achieve seamless integration with existing systems; and security compliance, formulating data governance strategies to ensure AI office tools comply with industry regulatory requirements, with high-sensitivity industries prioritizing private deployment solutions.

Conclusion

The second half of the AI office era is no longer a competition for efficiency among standalone tools but a deep competition for full-link intelligent office ecosystems. With sustained policy support, continuous technological innovation, and steady market demand growth, AI office will become the core engine for enterprise digital transformation, driving enterprises from "efficiency enhancement" to "value creation." Enterprises that proactively embrace change, accurately grasp trends, and scientifically deploy AI office tools will seize the initiative in the digital wave and achieve high-quality development. As predicted by the Pixel Bloom AI Research Institute, by 2028, AI office tools will achieve full-link intelligence, becoming standard components for enterprise digital transformation, with ecological cooperation emerging as a key factor for industry success.