Key takeaways:
- Amongst the many treasures, AI assistants utilizing massive language mannequin (LLM) expertise and humanoid robots stood out.
- Guests have been notably drawn to video-generated LLM and fully unmanned, human-carrying car expertise.
- AI governance emerged as a key subject of focus.
From 7-9 July, the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2024 (WAIC 2024) happened in Shanghai. According to official data, as of 2pm on 9 July, the variety of offline guests exceeded 300K, whereas on-line engagement surpassed 1.9 billion, marking a 90% improve in comparison with the earlier 12 months, setting new data. This 12 months’s convention featured over 500 corporations and greater than 1,500 displays. The primary points of interest have been LLM functions and humanoid robots.
The primary WAIC was held in 2018, simply two years after AlphaGo defeated a human chess participant, at a time when many nonetheless lacked a complete understanding of AI. By 2024, a wide selection of Generative LLM applied sciences and functions have emerged, with AI governance changing into the central theme of the convention.
AI treasures
In comparison with complicated algorithms and high-end boards, the annual “treasures” of the convention are the newest functions for on a regular basis customers. The eight “treasures” of WAIC 2024 are: Tongyi Lingcode of Aliyun (阿里云通义灵码), AI Yuanqi of Lenovo YOGA Ebook 9i, Alipay Clever Assistant, SenseTime Vimi Managed Character Video Era LLM, Tesla Cyber Cross-Nation Wagon, Zhipu AI LLM, Clever Flying Car Show Space, and the “18 Buddha’s warrior attendant” (十八金刚) Humanoid Robots.
AI assistants built-in with LLM have been a big spotlight amongst these treasures. As an example, the Alipay Clever Assistant, based mostly on Ant Group’s self-developed LLM, will be accessed by flattening on the homepage. It offers over 8,000 digital life services in areas such as travel, health, government, and finance. Tongyi Lingcode of Aliyun, proficient in additional than 200 programming languages, assists in writing, studying, debugging, and optimising code. It has been downloaded over 3.5 million times, helping developers generate code on a daily basis.
AI assistants built-in with LLM
The idea of embodied intelligence can be a significant development this 12 months. As quoted by NVIDIA founder Jensen Huang, embodied intelligence is an clever system that may perceive, motive, and work together with the bodily world, representing the subsequent wave of AI. This focus introduced humanoid robots into the highlight at the convention. The “18 Buddha’s warrior attendant” humanoid robots at the venue’s entrance, originating from numerous humanoid robotic corporations, attracted many guests.
Public focus
Let’s discover two associated subjects that made it to Weibo’s Sizzling Searches:
#Kuaishou Kling AI Ushers in the Strongest Update# garnered 14.8 million views. Kling is Kuaishou’s video technology LLM. Utilising this expertise, the first AIGC authentic fantasy microdrama will quickly debut on Kuaishou (China’s quick video platform).
Throughout the convention, Kling interacted with customers, reworking inputted textual content into high-definition video or animating outdated images to maneuver like a video, offering a surprising visible and emotional expertise. The subject #CCTV Reporter Tests AI That Animates Old Photos# amassed 11 million views, with over 500K individuals already queuing up for Kling’s inside testing.
#Shanghai Issues First Licences for Completely Unmanned Vehicles# acquired 2.2 million views. At the convention, Shanghai issued the first batch of demonstration software licences for driverless clever networked autos, also called “fully unmanned car licences.” This enables the 4 licensed corporations to deploy totally unmanned autos on choose roads in the Pudong district, Shanghai. The general public can guide free rides in these driverless taxis by way of the corresponding software program.
Fully unmanned autos in Shanghai
Throughout the demonstration part, every car should full at least 5,000 kilometres of driving to confirm the security and reliability of its working system and unmanned operation. Upon profitable evaluation, related departments will resolve whether or not these enterprises and autos can begin business operations in designated areas, selling the commercialisation of driverless journey.
Ideas rivalry
Along with the merchandise, a number of associated subjects from the convention dominated public opinions.
Bilibili’s widespread science influencer, Dr Tang Cheng from the Chinese language Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Neuroscience, expressed a need for AI to be extra modest. “For instance, when you ask AI knowledgeable query and it doesn’t know the reply, it ought to merely admit it as an alternative of producing nonsensical content material. AI ought to acknowledge its limitations.” This sentiment resonated with many, resulting in the Weibo subject #Famous Influencer Hopes AI Will Be More Modest#, which garnered 4.9 million views and widespread settlement from netizens.
“AI ought to acknowledge its limitations.”
Baidu Chairman and CEO Robin Li, talking at the discussion board, criticised the rampant growth of LLM, highlighting the important waste of computational energy. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that the intensive concentrate on growing LLM has yielded spectacular outcomes, with Baidu’s Ernie Bot rating amongst the world’s prime AI fashions.
Ultimately 12 months’s convention, Elon Musk highlighted security considerations concerning full-scale synthetic intelligence and predicted that robots would finally outnumber people. Consequently, AI governance has develop into a focus this 12 months. Moreover, this 12 months, the European Parliament adopted the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), aiming to manage AI successfully.