2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai attracts U.S. companies

Even as tension between China and the U.S. continues to escalate in a wide range of areas from trade to technology, U.S. tech companies showed that they are still interested in the Chinese market at the 2021 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) held in Shanghai. Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called on both sides to “start a dialogue” in a speech via video to the WAIC. He said that neither of the two countries should seek a monopoly in the field of high technology and urged the two countries to opt for a relationship “of mutual benefit.” A number of U.S. tech companies – including Qualcomm – showcased their artificial intelligence (AI) solutions at the conference. Christiano Amon, President and CEO of Qualcomm, said that the company is collaborating with leading companies in China and around the world to accelerate a trend that leads to an “intelligent, cloud-connected future.” “This is a very exciting time to bring AI to its full potential in the cloud by creating more intelligent edge devices, and 5G will be the connectivity platform to connect it all. This is a massive opportunity for all of us in this industry,” he said.

Ian Shih, President of U.S.-based Rockwell Automation Greater China, said that the company has established profound strategic partnerships with many Chinese companies. “Today, a number of innovative technologies in China such as AI, big data and augmented reality have been highly integrated with our core business platforms, and we will work to accelerate the upgrading of China's manufacturing industries to enhance Chinese companies' global competence,” he told the Global Times.

“Opportunities in the Chinese market always exist, even at the toughest time of China-U.S. relations. Yes, the political friction is there, but the importance of Chinese markets to U.S. companies like Qualcomm won't be erased by external factors,” independent tech analyst Fu Liang told the Global Times. Allan Gabor, President of Merck China, said that a revolution of AI technologies has been taking place in China in recent years, from voice-controlled digital assistants to drug development through machine learning, and this creates a vibrant ecosystem in China that the company is delighted to be part of. “Today, 22% of the AI companies in the world are from China, there is no doubt that China leads the way in AI,” he said.

Experts also pointed to challenges standing in the way of China's AI development. China still lags behind in basic technologies such as sensors and chips. Also, the problem of “data fragmentation” poses risks to China-U.S. AI cooperation, as there is no consensus on how to treat sensitive data in either country, and that increases the chances of cooperative AI projects suddenly being halted, analysts said, as reported by the Global Times.

China welcomes multinational corporations seeking to establish artificial intelligence R&D facilities, said Xiao Yaqing, Minister of Industry and Information Technology. China ranks first in AI-related invention patents, Xiao said. The country has formed an entire industrial chain and application scenarios, and has made remarkable progress in areas like image and voice recognition. Shanghai, which is looking to become China’s world-class AI center, will serve as a “testbed and barometer” for global AI development, said Li Qiang, Shanghai's Party Secretary.