CLSA's monthly survey of Chinese consumers reveals a growing trend toward AI commercialization, with more users willing to pay for artificial intelligence services.

The report, based on responses from 1,235 middle-class participants who use AI tools at least once a week, found that 36% now pay a monthly fee for AI-related services. This marks a 4 percentage point increase compared to the survey conducted in June this year.

Among paying users, the proportion spending less than 10 yuan per month dropped by 4 percentage points to 12%, while those spending over 40 yuan monthly rose by 4 percentage points to 37%. This shift indicates a willingness among consumers to invest more in AI tools they find valuable.

General AI assistants and large language models top the list of paid services, chosen by 60% of respondents, followed by AI office and writing tools at 56%, and AI image and video generation at 44%.

Looking ahead, 29% of respondents plan to subscribe to the professional version of Doubao within the next three months. Of these, 25% intend to opt for the standard edition, while 4% plan to choose the enhanced version.

On the hardware front, AI headphones saw the highest increase in purchase intention over the next 12 months, rising by 11 percentage points. AI smart glasses followed with a 9 percentage point increase, and AI toys or companion robots gained 6 percentage points.

Regarding investment preferences, gold has regained its position as the most favored investment option for the coming year. The proportion of respondents choosing gold as their best investment vehicle rose by 4.6 percentage points quarter-over-quarter to 15.6%, while A-shares saw a 0.9 percentage point increase to 21.3%.