Will Trump seek investment to join China in a "dark factory" future?
A Chinese manufacturing giant tells CBS News how its sprawling factory runs with a fraction of the human workforce previously required.
Zhuhai, southern China — When President Trump arrives in China this week for a high-stakes summit with Xi Jinping , securing investment from Chinese companies — including to help modern American factories — is expected to be on his list of priorities.
But if Mr. Trump is hoping to secure investment to help bring blue-collar jobs back to America, a CBS News visit to a massive Chinese factory suggests that ship may have sailed.
Inside a cavernous industrial building on the outskirts of Zhuhai, in southern China, there's a factory of the future. Hundreds of yellow robotic arms move in sync along a 1,500-foot assembly line, putting together some 4,000 components every 10 seconds for air conditioning units.
Owned by Gree, China's largest air conditioning maker, the facility is what's known as a "dark factory." It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, controlled by artificial intelligence.
Gree general manager Chen Huadong says it's the future of manufacturing.
"This is how future intelligent factories will look like, with AI-supported robots everywhere," he told CBS News, "working in real time."