Latest news with #World Artificial Intelligence Conference
The Standard
3 days ago
- Science
- The Standard
Humanoid robots embodiment of China's AI ambitions
People watch humanoid robots boxing at an exhibition during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 26, 2025. AFP
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
China's Premier Li Proposes Global AI Cooperation Organization
Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday proposed establishing an organization to foster global cooperation on artificial intelligence, calling on countries to coordinate on the development and security of the fast-evolving technology. Speaking at the opening of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Li called AI a new engine for growth but said governance is fragmented and emphasizing the need for more coordination between countries to form a globally recognized framework for AI. The three-day event brings together industry leaders and policymakers at a time of escalating technological competition between China and the United States - the world's two largest economies - with AI emerging as a key battleground. "Overall global AI governance is still fragmented. Countries have great differences particularly in terms of areas such as regulatory concepts, institutional rules," Li said. "We should strengthen coordination to form a global AI governance framework that has broad consensus as soon as possible." Washington has imposed export restrictions on advanced technology to China, including the most high-end AI chips made by companies such as Nvidia and chipmaking equipment, citing concerns that the technology could enhance China's military capabilities. Despite these restrictions, China has continued making AI breakthroughs that have drawn close scrutiny from US officials. Li did not name the United States in his speech but he warned that AI could become an "exclusive game" for a few countries and companies, adding that challenges included an insufficient supply of AI chips and restrictions on talent exchange. GOVERNANCE PLAN China wants to share its development experience and products with other countries, especially those in the Global South, Li said. Also on Saturday, China released an action plan for global AI governance, in which it invited governments, international organizations, enterprises and research institutions to work together and promote international exchanges including through a cross-border open-source community. The plan proposes accelerating digital infrastructure such as clean power, new-generation networks and data centers, according to a statement from China's foreign ministry. The AI conference is an annual government-sponsored event in Shanghai that typically attracts major industry players, government officials, researchers and investors. Saturday's speakers included Anne Bouverot, the French president's special envoy for AI, computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, known as "the Godfather of AI", and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has in past years regularly appeared at the opening ceremony in person or by video, did not speak this year. Besides forums, the conference features exhibitions where companies demonstrate their latest innovations. This year, more than 800 companies are participating, showcasing more than 3,000 high-tech products, 40 large language models, 50 AI-powered devices and 60 intelligent robots, according to organizers. The exhibition features predominantly Chinese companies, including tech giants Huawei and Alibaba and startups such as humanoid robot maker Unitree. Western participants include Tesla, Alphabet and Amazon.
The National
3 days ago
- Business
- The National
China proposes global AI co-operation organisation
China proposed a new global artificial intelligence co-operation organisation amid a patchwork of regulations among countries, as Beijing's competition with the US over the critical technology heats up. Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday called for an international framework to regulate AI as its governance is fragmented, he said at the opening of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai. 'Global AI governance is still fragmented. Countries have great differences, particularly in terms of areas such as regulatory concepts, institutional rules,' Mr Li said. 'We should strengthen co-ordination to form a global AI governance framework that has broad consensus as soon as possible.' China's proposal comes just days after US President Donald Trump unveiled a three-pillar strategy that his administration refers to as America's AI Action Plan, after much anticipation from US technology companies. Accelerating artificial intelligence innovation, building AI infrastructure in the US and leading in AI diplomacy are the strategy's three main planks. The plan to export US AI technologies, for example through international data centre initiatives, may help the US to gain influence as other countries seek to join the race to provide computational power for AI. Hypothetically, it could also give the US a competitive edge over China, which also aims to be a dominant AI player. Beijing and Washington are locked in a rivalry with AI shaping up as a key battleground between the world's two biggest economies. An 'exclusive game' During the three-day World Artificial Intelligence Conference on Saturday, Mr Li said that AI could become an 'exclusive game' for a few nations and companies. 'Currently, key resources and capabilities are concentrated in a few countries and a few enterprises. If we engage in technological monopoly, controls and restrictions, AI will become an exclusive game for a small number of countries and enterprises,' Mr Li said. Going forward, China will seek to propel AI development in the Global South, Mr Li said, according to a Bloomberg report. China said it is considering Shanghai as the headquarters of the proposed global AI co-operation centre. Ma Zhaoxu, China's Vice Foreign Minister, told a gathering of representatives from more than 30 countries, including Russia, South Africa, Qatar, South Korea and Germany, that China wanted the organisation to promote pragmatic co-operation in AI and was considering putting its headquarters in Shanghai, Reuters reported. China's AI and semi-conductor sectors are showing strong growth, despite US export controls, according to a June report by Jefferies, an investment banking and capital market firm based in New York. Huawei debuts AI computing system At the same conference on Saturday, China's Huawei Technologies showed off an AI computing system, as the technology giant aims to capture market share in the country's growing AI sector. The CloudMatrix 384 system made its first public debut at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference. Semiconductor research group SemiAnalysis in April called it "China's Answer to Nvidia GB200 NVL72", the US chipmaker's most advanced system-level product currently available in the market. "This solution competes directly with the GB200 NVL72, and in some metrics is more advanced than Nvidia's rack scale solution. The engineering advantage is at the system level, not just at the chip level, with innovation at the networking, optics, and software layers," SemiAnalysis said in its April report.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
China proposes new global AI cooperation organisation
SHANGHAI, July 26 (Reuters) - China said on Saturday it wanted to create an organisation to foster global cooperation on artificial intelligence, positioning itself as an alternative to the U.S. as the two vie for influence over the transformative technology. China wants to help coordinate global efforts to regulate fast-evolving AI technology and share the country's advances, Premier Li Qiang told the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday released an AI blueprint aiming to vastly expand U.S. AI exports to allies in a bid to maintain the American edge over China in the critical technology. Li did not name the United States but appeared to refer to Washington's efforts to stymie China's advances in AI, warning that the technology risked becoming the "exclusive game" of a few countries and companies. China wants AI to be openly shared and for all countries and companies to have equal rights to use it, Li said, adding that Beijing was willing to share its development experience and products with other countries, particularly the "Global South". The Global South refers to developing, emerging or lower-income countries, mostly in the southern hemisphere. How to regulate AI's growing risks was another concern, Li said, adding that bottlenecks included an insufficient supply of AI chips and restrictions on talent exchange. "Overall global AI governance is still fragmented. Countries have great differences particularly in terms of areas such as regulatory concepts, institutional rules," he said. "We should strengthen coordination to form a global AI governance framework that has broad consensus as soon as possible." The three-day Shanghai conference brings together industry leaders and policymakers at a time of escalating technological competition between China and the United States - the world's two largest economies - with AI emerging as a key battleground. Washington has imposed export restrictions on advanced technology to China, including the most high-end AI chips made by companies such as Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab and chipmaking equipment, citing concerns that the technology could enhance China's military capabilities. Despite these restrictions, China has continued making AI breakthroughs that have drawn close scrutiny from U.S. officials. China's Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu told a roundtable of representatives from over 30 countries, including Russia, South Africa, Qatar, South Korea and Germany, that China wanted the organisation to promote pragmatic cooperation in AI and was considering putting its headquarters in Shanghai. The foreign ministry released online an action plan for global AI governance, inviting governments, international organisations, enterprises and research institutions to work together and promote international exchanges including through a cross-border open source community. The government-sponsored AI conference typically attracts major industry players, government officials, researchers and investors. Saturday's speakers included Anne Bouverot, the French president's special envoy for AI, computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, known as "the Godfather of AI", and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Tesla (TSLA.O), opens new tab CEO Elon Musk, who has in past years regularly appeared at the opening ceremony in person or by video, did not speak this year. Besides forums, the conference features exhibitions where companies demonstrate their latest innovations. This year, more than 800 companies are participating, showcasing more than 3,000 high-tech products, 40 large language models, 50 AI-powered devices and 60 intelligent robots, according to organisers. The exhibition features predominantly Chinese companies, including tech giants Huawei and Alibaba ( opens new tab and startups such as humanoid robot maker Unitree. Western participants include Tesla, Alphabet (GOOGL.O), opens new tab and Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab.
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China calls for global AI centre to reverse ‘fragmented trend' as US tech rivalry deepens
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for the establishment of an international centre to better coordinate global cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) and address the current 'fragmented trend'. The move comes as China looks to expand its influence in the new but rapidly evolving sector amid a bitter tech competition with the United States. Opening the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Saturday, Li said: 'Currently, global AI governance is showing a fragmented trend overall, particularly with significant differences among nations in regulatory approaches, institutional frameworks and rules. 'We should enhance coordination and alignment to establish a widely accepted global governance framework for AI at an early date.' Top AI scholars as well as industrial representatives from China and around the world are attending the three-day event in the Chinese financial and commercial capital. Li's proposal comes days after the US announced its own blueprint on AI development. The White House policy framework released on Wednesday aims to bolster American AI dominance through deregulation, infrastructure investment and expanding AI exports to allies in the technological arms race with China, described by President Donald Trump as a fight that will define the 21st century.
