1. Historical Lessons from Subsidy Fraud
Painful Experiences of Subsidy Fraud in New Energy Vehicles
A major fraud case involving 9.3 billion yuan: In 2025, the Ministry of Finance reported that 72 car companies were suspected of fraudulently obtaining over 9.3 billion yuan in subsidies, involving 180,000 “phantom cars”.
Main Fraud Techniques:
No car but a license: Falsifying sales records, such as Suzhou Jimxi Bus Company fabricating sales records of 1,131 vehicles to fraudulently obtain 260 million yuan. Cars without power: Producing vehicles without batteries or with substandard batteries, then disassembling the batteries after registration to reapply for subsidies. Related party idling: Selling vehicles to affiliated companies, which remain idle and not in operation for long periods.
Severe Consequences of Fraud
Collapse of industry trust: The public firmly believes in the label “electric vehicles = subsidy fraud”, affecting the entire industry’s image. Resource waste: Huge amounts of fiscal funds are misappropriated, leaving genuinely innovative companies underfunded. Technological stagnation: Companies shift their focus from technological innovation to “policy arbitrage”.
2. Risks of Subsidy Fraud in the Digital Economy and AI Robotics Sector
New Forms of Fraud May Evolve
Algorithm registration fraud: Fabricating AI model development to obtain subsidies through algorithm registration. Inflating R&D costs: Exaggerating computing power investments and including non-AI project costs in AI R&D. Related party transactions: Inflating AI product sales through affiliated companies to extract subsidies.
Signs of Existing Fraud
“AI Robotics” scam: In November 2025, a company showcased a robot with the “leg-cutting verification” method, but public skepticism arose due to technical details, exposing a crisis of trust in the industry. False advertising: Some companies package low-quality products using the concept of “AI intelligence”, promising “guaranteed profits” to attract investment.
3. Upgrading Regulations to Prevent Fraud
Strengthening Technical Supervision
Blockchain traceability: Establishing a full lifecycle data chain from R&D to application to ensure subsidies are linked to real data. Smart contracts: Automatically reviewing subsidy eligibility to reduce human intervention and increase transparency. Real-time data monitoring: Tracking the actual application of AI products through a national monitoring platform.
Policy Adjustments and Improvements
Raising subsidy thresholds: Shifting from “heavy subsidies” to “heavy technological innovation”, such as Guangdong Province requiring AI companies to pass national algorithm registration. Post-disbursement verification mechanism: Conducting strict checks after subsidy disbursement, recovering funds from those who do not meet the criteria. Tiered penalties: Deducting future subsidy amounts for fraudulent companies by 3-5 times the fraud amount.
Industry Self-Regulation and Ecological Construction
Corporate integrity system: Establishing corporate credit files to record and publicly disclose fraudulent behavior. Consumer supervision: Setting up a whistleblower reward mechanism to encourage public participation in supervision. Industry standard formulation: Defining technical standards for AI products to prevent low-quality products from obtaining subsidies.
4. Recommendations for Enterprises and Consumers
For Enterprises
Focus on technological innovation: Invest resources in core technology R&D rather than “policy arbitrage”. Compliant operations: Strictly adhere to subsidy policies, ensuring that application materials are truthful and accurate. Establish internal control mechanisms: Prevent internal personnel from exploiting their positions to fraudulently obtain subsidies.
For Consumers
Be wary of high-return promises: Remain cautious of AI products that promise “guaranteed profits”. Verify qualifications: Confirm whether the company has passed national algorithm registration and whether the products meet industry standards. Stay informed about policy dynamics: Keep up with the latest changes in subsidy policies to avoid being misled by false advertising. In summary: The risk of subsidy fraud in the digital economy and AI robotics sector still exists, but by learning from the lessons of the new energy vehicle sector, regulation has significantly strengthened. The industry is transitioning from “heavy subsidies” to “heavy technological innovation”, and companies should focus on core technology R&D while consumers need to remain vigilant to jointly maintain the healthy development of the industry.