Liu Minxia mllmx@163.com SHENZHEN’S action plan to accelerate the progress of next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has sparked discussions among government officials, industry experts, and company representatives on Shenzhen’s path to becoming a vanguard in AI innovation. One such discussion was broadcast live during the third episode of a TV show that brings together government and corporate officials at the Shenzhen Media Group Building on Tuesday. The roundtable interview involved Lin Yi, the deputy director of the Shenzhen Municipal Industry and Information Technology Bureau, Jian Na, the deputy head of Nanshan District, Cui Li, the chief development officer of ZTE Corp., Wang Qi, the vice president of Tencent Cloud, and Ding Ning, the executive deputy director of the Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Society. With a robust industrial foundation for AI advancement, Shenzhen stands out for its leading AI companies and diverse application scenarios. These advantages position the city as a leader in the AI sector, Lin informed an audience of over 200 industry insiders. Shenzhen aims to establish an ecosystem that nurtures innovation across various sectors, including intelligent products, data integration, application scenarios, and smart driving, he added. Lin recognized the pivotal role of algorithms in AI development, and elaborated on the city government’s supportive policies for the software industry. Nanshan District, China’s technological hub, leads the charge in Shenzhen’s AI initiatives. Jian explained that the district hosts three provincial-level AI industrial parks, numerous top-tier research institutions, and a considerable portion of Shenzhen’s AI companies. “Nanshan has outlined two key strategies for advancing AI development: innovative supportive policies and building an AI ecosystem,” Jian said. Jian cited the “Model Camp” AI Ecosystem Community as a prime example. The flagship incubator for large AI models, established by Nanshan earlier this year, plans to nurture a minimum of 100 AI firms and 1,000 AI applications through an initial investment of 20 million yuan (US$2.76 million) and a series of supportive policies. Sharing ZTE Corp.’s AI development experiences in Shenzhen, Cui highlighted the city’s robust information and communications technology (ICT) industry foundation and complete industrial chain that facilitate the growth of an AI ecosystem. The sector also benefits from abundant funding, a startup culture, and an open, inclusive environment in the city. Emphasizing the importance of integration of software and hardware innovation in the AI industry, Wang of Tencent Cloud said, “By establishing robust software ecosystems, the potential of hardware can be maximized, enabling enterprises and end-users to seamlessly utilize and benefit from large language model products.” Ding emphasized the government’s pivotal role in guiding the development of humanoid robotics and the broader AI industry. “At this stage, the AI sector is navigating a trial-and-error process, and government guidance will play a significant role in the development of the sector,” he said. Shenzhen was home to 1,646 AI companies at the end of last year, ranking third among Chinese cities, official data show. The city’s core AI industry was valued at 38.7 billion yuan at the end of last year, a 12.1% increase from a year ago, according to the Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Industry Association. Shenzhen-based entities filed for 6,080 AI-related patents last year, ranking the city at second among major Chinese cities, as per the association. The China Artificial Intelligence City Competitiveness Ranking Research Report, released last month, ranked Shenzhen third among the 100 most competitive Chinese cities in AI development. Regulations, plans, and measures have been rolled out at city and district levels to support the sector’s growth. In November 2022, Shenzhen was the first Chinese city to pass a local regulation, asking government agencies to be early AI tech adopters and earmark funds for AI research. | 