Shanghai, July 8 (People's Daily Online) – How will artificial intelligence (AI) impact human production and life in the future? On July 8, the 2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), themed "Intelligently Connecting the World, Building a City of Wisdom," officially opened on the banks of the Huangpu River.

Today, the boundaries of artificial intelligence are expanding, its applications are becoming more diverse, and its technology is becoming more mature. At the exhibition, there was a "Cloud Encyclopedia" with 130,000 entries; AR glasses that could reveal the history of AIWIN events; collaborative robots that expertly mixed drinks; and facial recognition tablets that simultaneously took temperatures, performed real-name registration, verified IDs, and checked health codes in under a second... AI applications have permeated every aspect of our lives.

Rich application scenarios, multiple AI technologies are unveiled

At the exhibition, a pure white collaborative robot was dancing its robotic arms and skillfully mixing cocktails, with the same level of proficiency as an experienced bartender.

The MiniCobo collaborative robot from Jieka weighs only 8.7kg. Driven by the rapid development of technology, it has broken the limitations of traditional stores and promoted the implementation of unmanned service stations in scenarios such as coffee shops, beverage shops, dessert shops, and robot interactive game consoles.

Taking the robot coffee station as an example, through the independently developed intelligent coffee robot learning system, the robot can independently complete coffee extraction, milk foam processing, milk coffee fusion and multi-pattern latte art within 5 minutes, and the robot's production efficiency can reach 30 cups/hour.

Wearing AR glasses, a virtual gift box appears before one's eyes. Clench and unclench one's fist, and the box "really" opens, revealing a 3D video wall depicting the history of the competition. Using gestures, one can rotate, stop, and play videos in the virtual cube, creating an incredible experience for the audience. The immersive fusion of the virtual and the real in 3D space is heightened.

"This gift box is anchored to a certain position in the real space by VSLAM technology. From the perspective of AR glasses, it looks like a real object. It becomes smaller when you move away from it and becomes larger when you get closer. You can interact with it through posture, gestures, and voice. This is the core perception and interaction technology of AR glasses. Its anchoring ability is the basis for AR glasses to provide people with immersive experiences and interaction between the virtual and the real." On the three display stands in the center of the AIWIN exhibition area at the Expo Center, this pair of AR glasses from Xvisio Technology presented the past and present of the AIWIN event to the audience in the form of lightweight AR glasses.

A temperature measurement tablet, using facial recognition, can simultaneously perform a single temperature measurement, real-name registration, ID verification, and health code verification in under a second. This UCloud facial recognition temperature measurement tablet, even when the subject is wearing makeup, glasses, or a mask, leverages AI algorithms and combines infrared temperature measurement, dynamic face detection, liveness detection, and facial recognition technologies to assist or even replace manual security checks, temperature measurement, and attendance management in airports, hospitals, and universities, effectively managing passenger flow data.

Autonomous driving also attracted considerable attention. A fully unmanned electric container truck named Q-Truck, independently developed by Xijing Technology, was unveiled at the event. It eliminates the need for a human operator, boasts a range of 200 kilometers, and can carry 80 tons. The challenge of autonomous driving technology lies in equipping vehicles with "intelligent eyes"—the key to effectively making them more "intelligent." To meet the specific needs of diverse intelligent driving scenarios, CloudTest Data pioneered the "Data Scenario Lab" model. By recreating a variety of intelligent driving scenarios, it addresses industry challenges such as missing data and uneven data quality in specific scenarios.

At the State Grid Power booth, a touch-screen interactive platform showcased the achievements of artificial intelligence and next-generation digital technologies under the dual-carbon strategy. Among them, the distributed trigeneration system in the city's smart energy center achieves an energy utilization rate of approximately 80%, a significant improvement over the 40-50% utilization rate of traditional thermal power. The application of distributed generation systems and absorption air conditioning technology can reduce peak-to-valley fluctuations in the power grid during summer. This smart energy "dual-carbon" cloud platform is also the first such platform jointly developed by the government and enterprises in China.

Also driven by the "dual carbon" goals, Schneider Electric efficiently collects and processes massive amounts of data, deeply explores the value of big data, identifies emission reduction nodes and energy-saving potential, improves production and operation efficiency, and continuously promotes the application of leading technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G, and industrial Internet of Things, helping to achieve efficiency and sustainability simultaneously and promote the carbon neutrality process.

In addition, there are humanoid service robots that can play chess with you and give you massages; a three-dimensional online version of the "Cihai" with 130,000 entries and 25,000 pictures; delivery drones that deliver goods to your door in 15 minutes; and rich and diverse application scenarios for the digital RMB... Each innovative AI application and product breaks the boundaries of people's imagination.

Shanghai's artificial intelligence industry is growing against the trend, attracting worldwide attention

Artificial intelligence, one of Shanghai's three key industries, overcame the adverse effects of last year's pandemic, capitalizing on opportunities amidst crisis and achieving counter-cyclical growth. As of 2020, Shanghai boasted 1,149 key AI companies, forming a relatively complete AI industry chain. The industry's annual scale reached 224.6 billion yuan, achieving a 50% increase against the trend, demonstrating a clear recovery in the industry. From 2018 to 2020, the average annual growth rate was 29.5%.

As of July 2020, Shanghai's key AI enterprises employed 187,000 people. Eleven universities in Shanghai have established AI research institutes, nine offer undergraduate AI majors, and 38 universities offer 104 AI-related disciplines. In 2019, the city enrolled 11,490 students and had 35,492 students currently enrolled, creating a significant talent pool for AI development.

For example, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory jointly launched the National Intelligence Class, a pilot program for outstanding talent in artificial intelligence, this year. This program, based on cutting-edge AI, aims to cultivate top global talent in the field of AI, transforming the future of AI. The National Intelligence Class employs a three-mentor system: academic research mentors, project development mentors, and enterprise practice mentors. This program provides students with individualized instruction and personalized development, providing leading platform resources for their research and practice, and cultivating academic leaders and industry elites in the field of AI.

Shanghai has successfully hosted the World Artificial Intelligence Conference for three consecutive years, drawing global attention. Over the past three years, the conference has seen the release of numerous important policies, the unveiling of over a dozen key platforms, and the signing of over 80 industrial projects. A large number of outstanding companies have gained global exposure through the conference platform, laying a crucial foundation for Shanghai to build a world-class innovation ecosystem.

How can we better leverage the "leading goose effect" of artificial intelligence? In his speech at the opening ceremony, Shanghai Municipal Party Committee Secretary Li Qiang emphasized the importance of using artificial intelligence as a key driver for comprehensively advancing the city's digital transformation. He emphasized the importance of taking greater strides in building a smart economy, creating a smarter lifestyle, and shaping smart governance. He emphasized accelerating the development of Shanghai as an internationally influential "highland" for artificial intelligence, striving to become the best testing ground and an important indicator of global artificial intelligence development, and ensuring that the vision of the intelligent era is fully and vividly demonstrated in Shanghai.

(Editors: Ge Junjun, Xuan Zhaoqiang)