NPC Deputies Join Forces to Promote AI Industry Development
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Artificial intelligence is a key driver of the new technological and industrial revolution and a focal point in global tech competition. As a city of innovation, how can Shenzhen leverage its innovative and industrial strengths to accelerate the establishment of a leading AI hub? On November 17, the Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee held a symposium on AI industry research in Taoyuan Subdistrict, Nanshan District. Over 10 NPC deputies at various levels, along with representatives from industry associations and enterprises specializing in AI, engaged in in-depth discussions on critical issues such as computing resource allocation, application scenario expansion, open-source platform development, and talent cultivation.
Shenzhen Forms Preliminary Complete AI Industry Chain
Data presented at the symposium revealed that as one of the first national pilot zones for next-generation AI innovation and development, as well as a national AI innovation application pioneer zone, Shenzhen is home to 1,920 AI-related enterprises, with an industry scale reaching 248.8 billion yuan. The city has initially established a comprehensive AI industry chain covering foundational, technological, and application layers.
Liu Xiang, a provincial NPC deputy and Chairman & CEO of Shenzhen Xinguodu Co., Ltd., stated that China's AI development possesses unique advantages. Taking big data as an example, the country's vast population base and massive data resources, coupled with the world's largest internet user base and mobile payment market, provide substantial support and market space for AI and big data development, creating significant opportunities for enterprises. Currently, key considerations include refining AI-related laws and regulations and facilitating international exchanges and cooperation for businesses.
"Shenzhen's AI industry has the potential to become a new pillar industry," said Zhang Ju, a municipal NPC deputy and Party Secretary & CFO of Shenzhen Ubtech Robotics Corp. He emphasized Shenzhen's robust industrial foundation, strong capital capabilities, and pioneering legislation—the "Shenzhen Special Economic Zone AI Industry Promotion Regulation"—along with a series of supportive policies, creating unparalleled conditions for AI industry growth. Application scenarios serve as vital support for AI development. Zhang suggested that Shenzhen actively create conditions to diversify AI application scenarios, further support the procurement and use of "first-of-its-kind" AI products and services, and assist enterprises in expanding market resources.
Strengthening Basic Research and Industrial Application Collaborative Innovation
While affirming the vigorous development of Shenzhen's artificial intelligence industry, representatives have incisively identified the difficulties and challenges faced by the industry and put forward targeted opinions and suggestions.
Today, it has become a consensus that AI empowerment is the "intelligent" path to victory for traditional manufacturing. Wang Zhidong, a municipal people's congress representative and executive president of Evoc High-Tech Holding Group, stated that the manufacturing sector encompasses numerous industries with vastly different production equipment and incompatible information systems, while low data application levels hinder the accelerated advancement of smart manufacturing. He suggested promptly improving data standards in the industrial sector, establishing a secure data element market, and refining data governance mechanisms to clear obstacles for truly achieving intelligent manufacturing.
In the era of big data, computational power economy has become a buzzword. Feng Shengzhong, a municipal people's congress representative and director of the National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen, said that computational power is the foundation of artificial intelligence, and computational power equipment has a lifespan. Failure to utilize it promptly would result in significant waste. It is essential to vigorously promote the transformation of computational power, address structural imbalances in supply and demand, accelerate the construction of application ecosystems, and actively cultivate interdisciplinary talent in AI and computational power to truly convert computational power into productivity.
Wang Jian, a Nanshan District people's congress representative and chairman of Sinsky Technologies, believes that China's AI industry development started from the application end because it is "closer to the rice bowl." Today, to break through the dilemma of core technologies being constrained by others, it is necessary to strengthen collaborative innovation between basic research and industrial applications, achieve parallel development of foundational and market applications, and build a robust industrial ecosystem.
Establishing AI Industry Contact Points
Before the symposium, the Shenzhen People's Congress Representatives AI Industry Contact Point was inaugurated at the Taoyuan Street People's Congress Representatives Home and the headquarters of the Shenzhen Artificial Intelligence Association in Shenzhen Bay Science and Technology Ecological Park.
The contact point was carefully located in an area surrounded by leading AI companies such as Tencent, Huawei Kunpeng, ByteDance, and Baidu. It is reported that the resident representatives primarily come from AI enterprises or the industry, possessing high academic levels and professional expertise. Leveraging the AI industry contact point, people's congress representatives at all levels in the city will utilize their resource and professional advantages to strengthen ties with AI-related enterprises and organizations, conduct extensive activities such as symposiums, seminars, and industry forums, collect industry development opinions and suggestions widely, and build a platform for communication between the industry and government departments to promote high-quality industrial development.
Establishing industry and sector liaison points for People's Congress deputies is an innovative initiative by the Municipal People's Congress Standing Committee in recent years to enhance deputies' roles in promoting industrial development. So far, 17 municipal-level liaison points and several district-level ones have been set up throughout the city's districts.