China is pushing forward with its artificial intelligence ambitions despite US sanctions, with over 800 tech firms gathering in Shanghai for the World AI Conference. The conference showcases China's surging advancements in AI, featuring more than 3,000 high-tech products, 40 large language models, 50 AI-powered devices, and 60 intelligent robots.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang will address the conference, emphasizing the importance of AI to China's economic development and its goal to become a global leader in AI by 2030. Despite US export restrictions on advanced technology to China, including AI chips and chipmaking equipment, China has made significant AI breakthroughs.
Chinese startup DeepSeek has developed a low-cost large language model rivaling top-tier US systems like OpenAI's, but at a fraction of the cost. Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang has praised AI models from Chinese firms DeepSeek, Alibaba, and Tencent as "world class".
The conference will also feature participation from Western companies like Tesla, Alphabet, and Amazon, highlighting global interest in China's AI progress. China's determination to lead the next era of artificial intelligence despite external pressures is evident, and the World AI Conference serves as a platform for China to assert its growing role in global AI innovation.
