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CEAI:2026 China Entrepreneur AI Influence Index

AI Horizon · China Entrepreneur AI Influence Index

CEAI:2026 China Entrepreneur AI Influence Index

When AI begins to evaluate entrepreneurs, who is being recommended? Who is being forgotten?

This is not a hypothetical question, but a reality unfolding now. As global users increasingly turn to AI with questions like "Who is the most visionary entrepreneur in China?" "Who is leading the future of new energy vehicles?" "Which entrepreneurs in the AI track are worth following?"—the answers provided by AI are becoming a new yardstick for measuring entrepreneurial influence.

The China Entrepreneur AI Influence Index (CEAI) was created precisely to measure this "new yardstick."

I. What kind of index is this?

CEAI is the first evaluation system in China that uses real output data from generative AI large models as the sole basis for assessing entrepreneurial influence.

It does not rely on wealth data, expert ratings, or surveys. Instead, it directly "asks AI"—by sending standardized queries to 15 mainstream AI large models globally, recording how AI describes, evaluates, and recommends each entrepreneur, and generating an influence score for entrepreneurs in the AI cognitive world.

In short: It's not humans evaluating entrepreneurs, but how AI "sees" entrepreneurs.

II. Four dimensions to depict the AI cognitive portrait of entrepreneurs

CEAI creates a three-dimensional "AI cognitive portrait" for each entrepreneur across four dimensions:

AI Awareness — Does AI know this entrepreneur?

Measures the breadth, frequency, and scenario coverage of mentions of the entrepreneur in mainstream AI models. Being "seen" by AI is the basic threshold for influence.

AI Credibility — Does AI describe this entrepreneur positively and accurately?

Assesses the emotional tone and information accuracy of AI's descriptions of the entrepreneur. Being mentioned does not equal being trusted—positive and accurate descriptions are the true "cognitive assets."

AI Recommendation — Under what circumstances does AI recommend this entrepreneur?

In recommendation-type questions such as "recommend outstanding entrepreneurs" or "who is the most innovative business leader," this measures the priority ranking and scenario coverage of the entrepreneur's recommendation. Being recommended is a direct channel for converting influence into commercial value.

Thought Leadership — Has this entrepreneur's thinking influenced AI's knowledge system?

Measures the extent to which the entrepreneur's views, statements, and methodologies are cited by AI as part of industry knowledge systems. This is the highest level of AI influence—not just being mentioned, but being cited as a "source of knowledge."

III. Covering eight major fields, 100 Chinese entrepreneurs

The first edition of CEAI covers approximately 100 Chinese entrepreneurs across eight major fields:

Technology & Internet · New Energy Vehicles & Manufacturing · Semiconductors & Hard Tech · Consumer & Retail · Biopharmaceuticals & Health · Fintech & Investment · Energy & Environmental Protection · Culture, Education, Logistics & Entertainment

Data collection spans 15 mainstream AI large models globally, conducted simultaneously in 70 languages including Chinese, English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Japanese, and Korean.

2026 marks the inaugural baseline year, with subsequent annual releases to track temporal changes in AI influence.

IV. Who is this index for?

Entrepreneurs and their teams: Diagnose personal AI image, identify cognitive strengths and risks, and formulate personal brand GEO strategies. In the AI era, silence is no longer golden—whether an entrepreneur's thoughts are "seen" and "cited" by AI is becoming a new dimension of personal brand assets.

Corporate brand and PR departments: Integrate founder AI influence into corporate reputation management, enabling coordinated management of personal IP and brand perception.

Investment and financial institutions: Assess the potential impact of an entrepreneur's personal reputation on the value of listed companies and startups.

Business schools and research institutions: Study the construction mechanisms and generational shifts of entrepreneurial influence in the AI era.

Media and content platforms: Understand the visibility landscape of entrepreneurs in the AI content ecosystem to assist content planning and topic selection.

V. How CEAI can be used

Scenario 1: Personal AI influence diagnosis for entrepreneurs

Through the CEAI four-dimensional radar chart, entrepreneurs can gain an at-a-glance understanding of their overall AI influence:

• High AI Awareness but low AI Credibility? — Suggests negative narratives or controversial labels, requiring enhanced positive authoritative source building.
• High AI Recommendation but low Thought Leadership? — Suggests being "recommended" but not "cited" in the AI knowledge system, lacking cognitive anchors of original thinking.
• Low across all four dimensions? — Suggests insufficient "presence" in the AI world, requiring systematic personal brand GEO development.

Scenario 2: Benchmarking competitors and tracking trends

CEAI provides cross-industry entrepreneur comparison functionality, allowing users to select benchmark entrepreneurs and overlay radar charts to identify relative strengths and weaknesses across dimensions. Quarterly dynamic monitoring tracks changes in specific entrepreneurs' AI influence over time, promptly identifying cognitive fluctuations and risk signals.

Scenario 3: Formulating personal brand GEO strategies

Based on CEAI diagnostic results, entrepreneur teams can develop targeted personal brand building strategies:

• Enhance AI Awareness: Increase the supply of structured content in global authoritative media, academic platforms, and industry reports.
• Enhance AI Credibility: Strengthen institutional trust endorsements through in-depth reports from authoritative media, third-party certifications, and academic citations.
• Enhance AI Recommendation: Deploy precise narrative layouts in recommendation scenarios such as investment selection, talent recruitment, and industry role models.
• Enhance Thought Leadership: Continuously produce "thought products" such as original methodologies, industry white papers, and public speeches to enter AI's knowledge citation chain.

VI. Inaugural list: "AI Horizon · Top 100 Chinese Entrepreneurs by AI Influence"

The inaugural 2026 list has been officially released, covering 100 Chinese entrepreneurs across eight major fields.

Entrepreneurs with the Highest AI Recognition: Widely mentioned in mainstream AI models, forming cross-industry and cross-scenario cognitive coverage.

Entrepreneurs with the Highest AI Trustworthiness: AI descriptions are predominantly positive, core factual information is accurate, and authoritative sources are frequently cited.

Entrepreneurs with the Highest AI Recommendation Rate: Frequently ranked first in "recommend outstanding entrepreneurs" type questions, covering multiple recommendation scenarios.

Entrepreneurs with the Strongest Thought Leadership: Their viewpoints, methodologies, and public statements are frequently cited by AI as integral parts of industry knowledge systems.

7. How to Obtain More Data?

• The CEAI annual overall ranking and sub-rankings are publicly released on the index's official website and partner media platforms, providing visual charts and data downloads.
• Participating entrepreneurs can apply for personal detailed diagnostic reports through official channels.
• Quarterly dynamic monitoring briefings are pushed to subscribed users.

"In the AI era, silence is no longer golden. Whether an entrepreneur's thoughts can be 'seen' and 'cited' by AI is becoming a new dimension of personal brand assets."

——Pang Pei, Chief Designer of the AI Cognitive Index (AICI) Evaluation System

Publishing Institutions

• World Intelligence Organization (WIO) / AI Index Research Institute (a global non-profit organization registered with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, holding U.S. federal government 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status)
• CCTV New Image Internet TV GEO Research Institute (a company invested by the Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio of China Central Television)
• WICOWEB Global AI Cognitive Research Center
• Beijing Beifang Future Vocational Skills Appraisal Center (holding a nationwide foreign-related survey license issued by the National Bureau of Statistics of China)
• Jingshi TV