AI a new growth driver to China's manufacturing capacity: NPC deputy

In a government work report delivered to NPC deputies, Premier Li Keqiang said that China will continue to focus on the next-generation of research and development into Artificial Intelligence, or AI.

[File photo: VCG]

In the city of Hangzhou, a smart city solution called the City Brain has been put to use improving local traffic flow.

Ren Zhitao is a machine intelligence engineer for Alibaba Cloud, the creator of the City Brain. He shed some light on how this AI technology helps Hangzhou to run more efficiently.

He said that "the City Brain project was first launched in 2016, with Hangzhou being the first city to utilize the technology. After a one-year trial, it controls over 128 traffic lights in the pilot area. The journey time for vehicles in the area was reduced by 15 percent, and time on the overpass was cut by 4.6 minutes. Thanks to its coordination, a so-called 'green passage' can be opened in an emergency situation, cutting in half the time it takes for an ambulance to get to the scene. In another city, Suzhou, the City Brain can schedule the departure time of the city bus in an elastic manner. In Quzhou, it also helps improve security."

Earlier this year, the Malaysian government decided to adopt the City Brain solution in its capital city, Kuala Lumpur, in a move to tackle the city's traffic problem.

China's AI technology sector has developed at a fast pace in recent years, with the industry receiving 188 billion yuan of investment and financing in the last year alone. That is equivalent to 28 billion US dollars.

Intelligent driving, big data, and data service are among the main areas of investment.

Beijing is home to the largest number of AI enterprises, with more than 260 located in the city. Guangdong and Shanghai are the other two centers where China's AI enterprises are clustered.

Wang Shuguo，the President of Xi'an Jiaotong University, and a deputy to this year's NPC. [Photo:cctv.com]

Wang Shuguo is the President of Xi'an Jiaotong University, and a deputy to this year's NPC. He believed China brings several advantages to the development of new AI technology.

Wang said that "the biggest advantage for China is its talents, including the young people and those leading the industry, thanks to the favorable environment created by the government. They acutely perceive that AI would be a developing trend in the future. Most importantly, the government has put AI on its development agenda, which encourages start-ups and leading figures to join this industry."

Wang Shuguo added that China's matured market, huge demand for the technology, and its strong production capacity also prop up the fast development of AI industry.

China's government mapped out its AI development plan in July last year, vowing to bring the value of core AI industries up to one trillion yuan, or 157 billion dollars, by 2030. It also set the target for China's AI sector to become the world leader by 2030.

China's Ministry of Science and Technology has unveiled the first group of four open AI platforms to spur the development of next generation AI technologies.

Leading voice intelligence developer iFlyTek along with tech giant Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent are among the group.

Liu Qingfeng,NPC deputy and founder of iFlyTek. [Provided to China Plus]

NPC deputy and founder of iFlyTek, Liu Qingfeng, suggested the government should serve as a vital driver in the industry.

He noted that "the government should lay out more forward-looking plans towards basic research on relevant significant technologies, and attract more leading global scientists to get involved in the research of our national laboratory. It should also boost the application of newly-researched technology by establishing a demonstration area and fully promoting the technology after it becomes mature. "

In recent years, China has made massive plans to encourage technological innovation and boost its manufacturing capacity up the value chain. AI technology is a key part of those plans.

Another NPC Deputy Wang Liping is chairman of the Jiangsu-based Suqian Guangbao Holding Group. He said the development of AI technology will take a leap forward in the near future.

Wang said that "China's economy has entered into a very fast stage with many of its sectors leading the world. I believe AI technology will be a new growth driver to expand China's manufacturing capacity from big to strong."

Deputy Wang added that thanks to the government's guidance, artificial intelligence is set to become a very promising sector in China.